What If?
by InuLuna19
Summary: What if we found out that Kagome wasn't entirely human? How would this affect our story? Can a change in Kagome's heritage be the answer to defeating the jewel? Or is nothing as it seems? What if there was more than just darkness hiding in the shadows?
1. Chapter 1: This is so Not What I Meant!

Disclaimer: I didn't own Inuyasha the first two times I posted this chapter, so what makes you think I own it now?

So I will post the arcs at the end of the story incase anyone wants to read them. Though I am reposting the individual chapters.

Here you guys go and enjoy! :)

Chapter 1: This is so not what I meant.

Hello my name is Kagome Higurashi, today is my 18th birthday and first year without school. Oh sweet freedom here I come. I can't wait to move out and get my own job, find a man and get married. You know the whole shebang.

I walked out of my family's house to go apartment hunting when I noticed the door to the well house was open. I walked up to it and saw my little brother crouched down with the cat's food bowl saying 'Buyo' in a slightly scared tone. "Boo!" I yelled and watched him jump nearly five feet into the air then spin around to face me. I had to stifle the laughter that threatened to spill from my lips at the sight of his frightened face.

"Sis! Why did you do that?" he asked me with anger in his eyes.

"To see your reaction, my sweet little brother. Besides what are you doing here in the first place? It is your first day of middle school, so you don't want to be late." I told him as I made my way to exit the well house.

"Yeah, but I think Buyo is down there" he said to me.

"Well then go down and get him." I said to him in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Ye~ah, but it is creepy down there." He told me as I watched a shiver run down his spine.

"Fine, you stay here and be scared and I will get the cat. Jeez Souta, what will the girls at your school think if they were to know you are a sacredly cat?" I asked as I descended the stairs to the well house slightly snickering to myself. I enjoyed teasing my little brother, but I loved him just the same.

"Hey! I am not!" he yelled at me. While I just waved him off as I finished descending the stairs. Though I would never let him know it, but the well house is creepy. It always has been and probably always will be.

I began searching for my overly fat cat when I heard a scratching sound. I located the source and realized that it was coming from… inside the well. That is strange. The well hasn't been opened for over one hundred years, so how could anything get in there? Then again one time I did find Buyo crammed in one of my desks drawers, which had been closed. I reached to open the well, when something heavy brushed up against my leg. I did the only thing that a female would do in this situation. I screamed. Souta fell on his butt and Buyo purred. I am going to kill this cat, or just take away one of his meals. "Hah! And you called me scared!" Souta exclaimed from the top of the stairs, while I picked up the cat.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. At least I had the courage to come down here and find the cat." I said as I stuck out my tongue to my little brother in a childish manner. At this point I had forgotten about the scratching in the well and decided to take the cat back to world of the light outside of the well house. I wish I hadn't forgotten about the scratching noise or had ascended the stairs much faster than I had because, somehow, many arms shot from the well and dragged me in. I didn't have time to scream, but I did manage to glimpse the terrified face of my brother at the top of the stairs. As I was dragged into the darkness of the well I barely heard my brother call my name. That was how my life changed. In just one moment it was changed forever and I was placed on a long road to where my destiny lies. When I said I wanted freedom from home, this was so not what I meant.


	2. Chapter 2: Dog Ears?

Disclaimed!

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Chapter 2: Dog Ears?

When I was dragged into the well I came face to face with a monster. A, most definitely, female monster. It had six pairs of arms, fangs and a very insect like body. "You have it! Give it to me!" she said in a grated voice as she licked my face with her impossibly long tongue. Okay this is disgusting.

"Ewewewewew! Get OFF!" I yelled at her as a pink light blasted from my hands and knocked her, if you could call it that, away from me. I was falling forward and out of the black and blue abyss that I had fallen into with that… thing. I was back in the well. I had probably just fallen and hit my head, which caused an allusion. I had thought to myself, until I saw a severed arm of that thing lying next to me. "So, that wasn't a dream. Then this is reality and I am at the bottom of the well with a severed arm. Great. That is just fantastic. Okay deep breaths at least you are still hom…" that statement died and went to heaven faster than a germ that encountered bleach, when I looked up and saw sky. Sky was supposed to be outside of the roof and not on the inside. 'Okay don't panic. Don't panic.' Because saying or even thinking that always helps a situation. I decided that I should try and climb out of the well and see what happened. When I got out of the well I noticed something, I was most definitely not at the shrine anymore, or even in Tokyo. No I was in a forest. Actually I was in a clearing in the forest to be exact. "If this is some twisted version of OZ show me the yellow brick road please" I pleaded to no one in particular. I took in my surroundings again and saw the top of the Sacred Tree. That was something that I knew, maybe there would be someone there. I started to walk there when I smelled smoke from a fire. Fire, meant people and people meant civilization and food. Food was good.

I walked for a good hour or two before I had found my way out of the forest and into open fields. Actually they were rice patties and fields with different vegetables in them. I was definitely in the country. No doubt about it. I went to ask a person where I was when they yelled "Demon! A demon has come from Inuyasha's forest!" then he ran away. This was most definitely not my day, at all. I thought birthdays were supposed to be happy occasions. Speaking of which if this was some weird birthday prank I was going to commit murder. Yet something in my gut told me that this was not the case and usually my gut was correct. I saw a bunch of men and a woman, I think, on horseback with bows, arrows and farming implements coming towards me. This is officially the worst birthday in the history of birthdays. It got worse.

I found myself bound tightly and sitting in the middle of this small unknown village being sprayed in the face with dirt by an old woman. Did I mention the woman was spouting nonsense about me being a demon? "Hey, hey, hey! I am not a demon okay!" I nearly yelled at the old woman, who stopped throwing dirt at me.

"Are ye not? Then why were ye found wandering out of the forest of Inuyasha?" she said to me in a confused tone.

"I fell into the well in the forest and smelled the smoke from the fire in the village, so I headed to the edge of the forest in order to find people." I answered her question, mainly because I had no reason not to, especially because I was bound and the apparent center of attention.

"Perhaps she is a spy?" murmured one of the villagers that was gathered around.

"A spy? But what would they spy on, our village has barely enough to feed itself" replied the 'priestess'. I am still not buying this. Top knots, priestesses and kimonos everywhere, where am I the middle ages?

The next thing I knew she had grabbed my face and turned every which way as if she was trying to find something, "Look clever girl" she told me. I swear if she throws dirt on me one more time… "Ye have a strong resemblance to my sister Kikyo." After that she untied me and led me to her hut. There I learned that I was in fact in Japans middle ages. The Sengoku Jidai. Well this is wonderful.

After finding out where I was and who this kind lady, or priestess, was I felt a little better. Now I know where, when and with whom I am with. "Here have some stew" Kaede offered to me and I gladly accepted it. I hadn't had a decent meal since breakfast, 500 years in the future. That was a long time to wait…

"You say you are from a place called Tokyo? I do not know where that is nor have I ever heard of it." She said as she continued to stir the stew over the fire. I noticed that she had seemed to be reminiscing or remembering a time of the past almost every time she looked at me. 'Her sister must have meant a great deal to her' I thought as I finished my stew and was about to get ready for the night when suddenly there were screams and loud crashes outside of the hut. Kaede and I ran out of the hut only to be faced with the creepy woman-bug thing that drug me through the well. Great.

"Mistress Centipede? She was slain long ago. How is it that she is in the land of the living?" Kaede questioned no one in particular as Mistress Centipede headed towards us with a horse in her mouth. This is not my lucky day.

"The Jewel! Give me the Sacred Jewel!" she yelled after she threw the horse to ground in front of us. She charged at both Kaede and I and we ducked out of the way just in time as her body rushed over above us. "The Jewel give it to me! I must have it! I must!" yelled the she demon as she decided to thrash and spin around destroying everything in her path.

'I don't know what this jewel is, but I do know it is after me. That I am sure of.' I thought to myself. Just as I finished my thought Kaede said that the monster had to be led to the dry well, the well that I climbed out of. "Kaede, which way is the well?" I asked the elderly woman next to me. She turned to point to where the well was located and I saw the forest lit up with many different colored lights. "It is where the light I shining right?" I asked, but didn't bother to hear her reply. I ran.

My mother always insisted on me keeping active, taking self-defense classes and learning martial arts. On top of that I was on the gymnastics and swim teams in high school, so I have faith in my physical abilities, though I am most definitely a klutz a lot of the time. Yet no matter how fast I run that thing is right on my heels. 'Someone, anyone, now would be a great time to save me, or just kill this thing!' I looked back as I was nearing the top of a hill and my eyes widened as she swooped down to attack me. I was fast enough to not get hit, but not fast enough to dodge her attack completely. I was thrown from the ground and into the forest ahead of me. Once I stopped tumbling over myself I got up to run again, "Seriously, someone is going to help me at least right? Someone will save me, right?" I questioned no one in particular as I was pushing myself to keep running. Oh, what I would give for a gun right now, or a dagger, or anything to defend myself with. Yet I didn't have one, so I had to keep running, and that is what I did. That is until I came to the Sacred Tree, I remember seeing the top of it when I arrived here, but I opted for the village instead of investigating the tree. Once I saw the tree, or who was attached to it, I completely forgot about the centipede monster chasing me.

Before me was a boy, probably my age, bound to the tree with an arrow in his chest. But what caught my attention more so than his long light silver hair were the pair of dog ears on his head. They looked so soft, they make me want to touch them. I climbed the roots to come face to face with this boy, who appeared to be sleeping, this very good looking boy. I looked at his ears again and couldn't help myself; I had to touch them, just once. I reached up to stroke his ears gently, when I heard a small growl coming from in front of me. A growl coming from the boy bound to the tree.


	3. Chapter 3: Mission Accomplished

I don't Inuyasha! Okay!

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Chapter 3: Mission accomplished.

It had been a long time since Kikyo had bound me to this tree, but I didn't know how long it truly was. I was always in darkness, surrounded by it for as far as I could see. Then I saw a small light in the distance and after so long I could smell. I smelled her, the woman who bound me to a tree. I smelled Kikyo and she was very close. Then I felt something touching my ears softly. I HATED it when someone touched my ears, so I did the only thing I could while my body slowly came back to the land of the living. I growled at the annoyance to back off. They apparently got the memo because I heard a shriek and then a thump as they fell on the ground. I was finally able to open my eyes as they focused on the world around me. When I looked below me I saw Kikyo in odd clothes looking at me as in confusion and fright. "What are you doing there Kikyo, you are looking a little stupid."

"Hey! I am not stupid! And … Wait your alive? Why do you have dog ears? Who are you?" she asked me repeatedly not giving me time to answer.

"Oi, did you lose your mind, Kikyo? You were the one to do this to me in the first place." I nearly growled Kikyo as she glared at me with fire in her eyes. Her eyes held more emotion in them than I remember ever being there.

"UGH! I think I would remember if I shot someone, not only that, but I have NO idea who this Kikyo is because I am not her." She countered as she stomped up the roots to come face to face with me. A challenge in her eyes.

"And I am telling that there is no way you are not her because you smell exact…" I took a deep and long scent. It wasn't Kikyo's, though it was similar, this scent was sweeter and almost addictive. Sweet pea and cherry blossoms laced with the scent of strawberries with only a hint of incense. Though the incense was not her natural scent, just one she had acquired from life. Now that I got a whiff of her I realized that she smelled almost nothing like Kikyo. No Kikyo smelled of incense, earth, flowers and rain, her scent was calming and placating. Yet this girl's is invigorating, addicting and yet also calming as well. "You, you're not her…" I trailed off as I looked into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Really?" she said in a sarcastic tone while rolling her eyes. "Of, course I am not her. My name is Kag…" she never did finish her sentence because she was hit by something. That something was a demon that I failed to smell. I was too busy drowning in her scent to notice, not only that but when I smelled her there was no fear in her scent, only anger and annoyance at me. Yet now I could smell fear, she was afraid of this demon that was attacking her. I heard the sickening crunch of, what I assumed, were her ribs cracking and breaking. The demon, a centipede monster was attacking her mercilessly.

Kagome's point of view:

All of a sudden I was hit with something and thrown against a tree. I could feel my ribs breaking as I made contact with the unforgiving wood of the tree. I gasped for air as I slid to the ground at the base of the tree. I immediately got up and moved before she slammed into the tree where I once was. I ran to the other side of the clearing in front of the tree. I was running for my life and it wasn't panning out so well. Suddenly I fell to the ground and I looked back to see Mistress Centipede grabbing my ankle and pulling me towards her. I clawed at the ground trying to find some purchase, but I could find nothing to grab hold of. Then the villagers and Kaede were shooting arrows and pulling her away from me, yet her grasp on my leg held fast.

"Give it to me! Give me the Sacred Jewel!" Mistress Centipede yelled at me as she dragged me along the ground towards her open, fanged mouth.

Inuyasha's point of view:

'That girl… she has the jewel?' I thought just as I heard her shout, 'Let GO!' after that a pink light came from her hand and burned the arm off of the demon attacking her.

"Hey I did that once before. Why am I glowing?!" she shrieked as she looked down to her glowing pink side. She practically highlighted where the jewel was by screeching that fact out. Then she decided to lift up her shirt and test her skin. I nearly shook my head at the fact that she managed to get distracted in the midst of a battle, again. Due to this she didn't notice the demon knocking back the other humans who had shot it with arrows and spears. I watched as the demon centipede used this moment to attack the girl again. Though this time she didn't have time to dodge. The demon bared its fangs and sank them into where her flesh had been glowing then thrashed around until a piece of the girl's flesh separated itself from her body. In which instance she was thrown at the base of my tree with a loud thud. Then I smelled her blood. It was sickeningly sweet, like it was the most delicious thing imaginable. This girl is most definitely more than she seemed, much more.

Kagome's point of view:

When she attacked I didn't even have time to scream as her fangs pierced my flesh and ripped a piece of it off. It hurt like hell, and it hurt even more when I was slammed into the base of the Sacred Tree. I looked back up as I tried to prevent myself from coughing up blood and blacking out. I saw the centipede monster pick up a glowing pink jewel covered in blood, and she then swallowed it. "No no no no no! Don't swallow it!" yelled the boy who was bound to the tree. I then looked back to the monster who had attacked me and saw that her arms were going back and forming to her body, then it let out a guttural screech and changed into an even more hideous monster. She had black skin with pulsing veins, red eyes and long yellow fangs.

"_Heheheheheheh. I had heard some half breed was after the jewel. Well now that my power is complete I shall feast on that girl and you! Hahahahaha"_ the centipede cackled as she continued to transform into an ugly monster.

"Oi, can you pull out this arrow?" asked the boy above me.

"I-I am not sure. Why should I anyway?" I asked the white haired boy.

"Nay, child! Do not release Inuyasha!" cried Kaede from far away.

"Because if you don't that thing is going to eat you. Whereas if you pull out this arrow I can kill it." He said and I didn't even think as to what I did next. I saw the monster, demon or what have you, lunge at me for another attack. I leapt up and grabbed something when the next moment I was tackled to the ground and pinned to a tree. The monster had her claws in my sides and two hands squeezing my neck. She was trying to crush my neck and block off my air supply.

"_Kukukuku, your blood smells divine. I can't wait to devour you!"_ Mistress centipede said in an extremely demonic voice.

"Well… that's too bad." I gasped out and raised my hand to see an arrow in my grasp. "Mission accomplished."


	4. Chapter 4: You have got to be kidding me

Disclaimer: do I really have to do this? ... Fine, I don't own Inuyasha, but the storyline and OC's are mine. Well the storyline after a certain point. I promise it is NOT the same story you read/watched.

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Chapter 4: You have got to be kidding me!

I held up the arrow in my hand and said, "Mission accomplished." The demon screeched and decided that it would be a good idea to try and take my head off before she died. Lucky for me she wasn't able to do so, instead Inuyasha managed to rip her off of me, none too gently I might add, and attack her. I heard him yell 'Senkon Tessou' and literally shred the demons body right before my eyes. Meanwhile I was still trying to catch my breath and attempting to stand now that I wasn't going to be knocked over by a giant mutant centipede. Then I saw one of the pieces twitch, "Why is it still moving?" I asked with worry.

"Ye must find the jewel in the glowing flesh, lest Mistress Centipede revive" Kaede said in an unusually calm tone.

"Well that's not good" I said out loud as I searched the twitching flesh around me for a glowing pink marble. When I found it I told Kaede where to look and she extracted the jewel from the centipede's flesh. When she did the flesh disintegrated and then all that was left were bones. Kaede then thought that it was a brilliant idea to place the jewel in my hands. "Why are you giving me this?" I asked her.

"Only ye can possess the jewel and keep it pure" Kaede answered me with a small reminiscent smile.

"Why do I not like the sound of that? So you are saying that I am the only person, a human I might add, who can keep an obviously evil shiny pink jewel pure. Not only that, but I have to protect said jewel from every single being in this country that seeks power. Did I miss anything?" I finished my rant with a question. All of my instincts said that this thing was bad juju, and I have learned to trust my instincts.

Kaede sighed as she listened to me rant about my, now apparent, destiny, "Yes, child. Only you can be its protector and you must keep it safe from all demons and humans that seek it."

"Keh, or you could hand me the jewel before I kill you and paint the landscape with your blood." Inuyasha sneered as he smirked, while cracking his clawed hands.

"Wait. What?" was all I could get out before my brain caught up with what he just said, 'Oh, you have **got** to be kidding me.' That was all I thought before every bone in my body told me to run. So… I ran.

Inuyasha Point of view:

I could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she processed what I had just said. Then she turned to run into the forest, bad move. I love a good chase. Though the fact that she was still bleeding and me having demon blood left me at a huge advantage when it came to tracking and hunting. I could practically see the blood trail on the ground as she ran through the forest. Then suddenly her scent made a sharp turn. I did have to hand it to her, she was fast, though I also wasn't trying very hard.

I followed where her scent turned away from the forest's path and into the more dense part of the forest. I could tell that she had stopped after a short while because there were no sounds of sticks breaking or leaves rustling except for those in the wind. I saw a tree with a small piece of white cloth next to it. 'Keh, she isn't so good at hiding, is she?' I thought to myself as I grabbed for the strange white cloth she wore. Though that was all that was there. Just the cloth and not the girl. 'So she isn't as dumb as I thought she was' I smirked at that thought. This may be fun.

I tried to sniff her out, but the wench had soaked her shirt in her blood and apparently flung it around, throwing her scent everywhere. Now I am getting annoyed, "Oi, wench I know you're out here so come out and give me the jewel." I shouted to the area surrounding me. Then I heard rustling from… above me? Before I had time to turn around and look up I found, a rather light, weight on top of me trying to restrain me. Not a bright move. I flipped us over so that she was under me and I was straddling her waist and I bared my fangs to her in a large smirk. I don't really smile, I smirk. "Give me the jewel or I will rip your throat out." I threatened her.

She glared at me and just blew air through her nose as if to say 'yeah right', "If you are going to bluff, then do it right. You have no intent to kill or draw blood. I can see it in your eyes. Another thing… you shouldn't leave yourself open" she said to me in an almost sing song voice. Then I felt a sharp pain between my legs. Oh sweet Kami of the seventh hell in a rice bowl. She kicked me. The pain, the horrible pain. What had possessed her to do something so horrible I couldn't comprehend, but now I wanted to kill her. I wanted to kill her very bad.

Kagome's point of view:

Okay now he's mad. And now I am going to die. I thought to myself as I ran for my life this time. I ran back to the path, hoping that some person, maybe Kaede and the other villagers, would be there. When I couldn't find anyone I just ran ahead on the path. I ran and ran until I decided to look back for a blur of red coming my way. What I didn't see was the small cliff in front of me, which I quickly found out was there because I was sliding down it. I found myself looking at a long bridge overhanging a canyon with a rushing river beneath it. Then I saw a pink orb bouncing across the bridge. It was the jewel. Then I saw a red blur rush overhead of me towards the jewel. It was the boy who was pinned to the tree from before, or Inuyasha as Kaede had called him. "Hey! Give that back!" I yelled at him as I got up to run after the jewel.

"Keh, yeah right. The jewel is mine" he said with his, now, familiar smirk. Just then I saw flashes of light hurtling towards the white haired boy, only for them to stop and form a necklace around his neck. "Oi! What is this?" he asked, or rather yelled as he tried to pull it off to no avail.

"Kagome, ye must use a word of subjugation. Say a word to hold his spirit!" called Kaede from on top of the cliff. 'I really could have used some back up a _liiiittle _sooner.' Then I looked back at the boy standing on the bridge attempting to get rid of the beads surrounding his neck. I then saw his dog ears twitch on top of his head.

I got an idea, though I wasn't sure it would work, "OSUWARI!" I yelled. Whatever was around his neck brought him crashing down to be thoroughly acquainted with the wood of the bridge. The jewel fell from his grasp and bounced back toward my side of the bridge. I walked to scoop the jewel into my hands. Just as I did so the boy sat up in the middle of the bridge and started cursing and swearing that he would kill me and everyone else in the village. I sighed as I started walking to go back up the cliff, "Osuwari." What I did not intend to happen was the fact that he plummeted through the wood this time and landed in the river below. "Ooops?"


	5. Chapter 5: Scars?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. There. Said it.

Ch. 5: Scars?

"So this jewel is sought by people, both humans and demons, correct?" Kagome asked Kaede who was explaining the duties of guarding the jewel to the young girl.

"Aye that is correct, child. Both demons and humans are after the jewel to realize their earthly desires. Where ye as the protector of the jewel must use your power to keep the jewel pure and free of malice" she finished explaining as she ground more herbs into poultice for Kagome's wounds.

"Yeah, I understand that, but why would you want the jewel, Inuyasha? You are already very strong." Kagome questioned Inuyasha who was sitting with his back to both her and Kaede.

"Keh" was all he said as an answer.

It was Kaede who decided to answer Kagome's question. "Aye, but Inuyasha is merely a half demon."

At this statement Inuyasha punched a hole into the wood floor of Kaede's hut. He turned back to face both women in the hut. "I am sick of hearing people that I don't know talk as if they do."

Kaede looked at Inuyasha and sighed, "Ye truly do not remember. I thought as much. I am younger sister to Kikyo. 50 years have passed since ye had been sealed and Kikyo died." Inuyasha didn't say anything, he just gained a sad look on his face and turned his head. Yet a mumbled, nearly inaudible and unfeeling, 'good riddance' left his lips.

"Kagome, child, let me see to your wounds. They looked severe and will leave nasty scars." Kaede said to Kagome, who nodded, as she applied the poultice to a bandage intent on putting it on her soon to be clean wounds. She grabbed a nearby bucket of water and a wash cloth to clean her wounds.

"Don't look either!" Kagome lightly yelled at Inuyasha as she lifted her green camisole to reveal the bloodied wound that had crusted over with dried blood. When Kaede had cleaned Kagome's wound it did not look nearly as severe as she had feared, in fact it looked as if it was too small of a wound. "Huh, so it did heal faster." Kagome said curiously.

"Kagome child what do ye mean?" Asked Kaede to confirm her thoughts.

"Well I always heal faster than most people, the doctors said that I had some mutation or something that allowed me to do so. Actually when I was smaller I almost died from an accident. Every doctor or nurse, they are healers," Kagome told Kaede who was looking at her strangely, "said that I should have died, but I didn't. Though it took me a very long time to recover. They had said it was a miracle." Kagome finished and looked to Kaede who had a serious look on her face. Yet she still cleaned her wounds and continued with applying the poultice to Kagome's wound on her waist. As she finished wrapping Kagome's waist she sighed deeply and decided to speak her mind.

"Kagome, are ye sure ye are not a demon?" Kaede asked with a serious expression on her face.

"What?!" was the response of not only Kagome, but Inuyasha as well.

Inuyasha's point of view:

The stupid wench told me not to look, who would want to anyway, but I turned so I could look at her injury out of the corner of my eye. It looked a lot smaller than I thought it was. It obviously was not as horrible a wound that the amount of blood she lost had indicated. I was stealthily listening to the conversation that was going on behind me. Not that I cared at all. I listened as the wench told a story where she had almost died, which got me to thinking about the battle that had taken place earlier that day. She still held the bruises from being thrown like a ragdoll into the trees. Her pale neck held dark purple hand prints from where she was being strangled. I had almost seen someone that looked like Kikyo die. And I was powerless to do anything about because of that damn arrow. Though the scent of her blood was strange, it did not smell like a demon, but it didn't seem to come from a human. Just what is this girl? Could she be a demon?

"Kagome are ye sure ye are not a demon?" The old hag asked the wench. Well that got my attention.

"What?!" I said at the same time as the wench.

"Oi, what do you mean that she is a demon. She smells like a weak human." I barked at the old woman.

I failed to notice the angry expression the wench had on her face. I wish I had, "Osuwari! I am not weak! I train myself almost every day, not only that, but I even teach classes sometimes. Just because I am not as strong as you are does not mean I am weak." She finished her rant, her voice slowly growing less volumous with every word as she slowly calmed down. "Don't call me weak if you don't even know me" She said to me and turned back to the hag to, most likely, answer her question. Whereas I was trying to become unacquainted to the wood floor of the hut. 'I hate this damn rosary.'

"Kaede I am not a demon. I have been human all my life, why did you ask?" the wench said curiously and a little worried. She smelled different with each emotion she was feeling, though her scent when she was angry was invigorating, 'I will have to do that more often, yet I can't because of this damn rosary. Maybe I can trick her in taking it off…'

"Because child ye wounds have healed at and incredible speed and ye have no broken bones. Only those with demon blood can do so." The old hag said. To be honest I had to agree with her, especially if she had no broken bones because I know I had heard the crack of her ribs breaking when she was tossed to those trees. Actually she took one hell of a beating for a human. This got me curious.

"Then they were probably not broken, I have never broken any of my bones in my life except for that accident when I was a kid. Even when I fell out of the tree when I was 7." She explained to the worried old priestess.

"Stop lying, wench and tell the truth, I **heard** your bones break. Hell you probably dislocated something too." I snapped at her.

"Well I don't give a rats ass what you heard because they are not broken, just bruised. Besides dog boy what do you care, you said you hated me" she countered with a fire in her eyes. "Which all probably stems from this Kikyo person, who I might add is **not** me. To be honest, I don't care whether we share a soul, because, from what I hear, we are different. But why do you hate her so much anyway, besides the fact that she made you and that tree best buds for 50 years?" she asked me. Okay was not expecting that one. Why couldn't she be stupid and let the past lie. Oh, right because I am being a royal jackass.

"Keh, wouldn't you like to know, wench" I said smugly. I was not going to divulge that information to some wench I just met. So I got up and was about to leave the hut, when she stopped me by standing in front of me.

"Yeah, actually I would like to know, seeing as how I was the one who freed you from the tree and the one you are taking your frustrations out on. So what happened between you and Kikyo," she demanded as her bright brown gaze blazed and her spicy scent slowly filled the room. I looked at her for the first time, really looked at her, she looked almost identical to Kikyo, except her face was more expressive and her eyes were larger and more round. She looked younger than Kikyo, who was at least twenty when she pinned me to that tree. Then I saw her scrapes from the fight. They were scabbed over and healing. Then I saw the bruises on her cheek and neck. On her neck was the imprint of that damn demon's hand where it tried to kill her. "You loved her." It wasn't a question it was a statement. The damn wench was too smart for her own good.

"You don't know anything about me" I growled and pushed past her.

"Yeah you're right, but I won't if you don't tell me. I don't believe we introduced ourselves to one another. I am Kagome, a human." She said as I continued walking away.

"Keh, why should I tell you" I shouted back at her.

"Fine, then I will list off the things that I know so far. Your name is Inuyasha. You are older than 50. You are a half demon. You want the jewel to become full demon. You are strong and powerful. You are arrogant and an ass to anyone trying to get even remotely close to you. Oh and you loved the woman who shot you and pinned you to a tree" she finished and walked after me. Honestly she was getting on my nerves.

"Why do you care anyways? You are just some wench who happened to have the jewel and still does." I scowled at her.

"Because every time you look at me you see her. I am not stupid Inuyasha, a little dense, maybe. But I am not stupid. You loved her and there is more to your story than meets the eye. I would bet my life on it." She said.

What she had said stopped me dead in my tracks, not because she read my emotions, but because she had bet her life on something that was connected to me. A hanyou, half-breed, scum, etc. the list goes on and on. I wasn't worth much, and I learned that I didn't deserve happiness from the deaths of my mother and Kikyo. Yet she didn't seem to care about that fact. I had known her for less than a day and she had shown me how big her heart was. A small smile graced my lips, then was gone in an instant as I watched the girl walk back to the hut to sleep for the night. She wasn't Kikyo. No that was apparent, but she really did look like her, only a little more childish looking. Innocent, would be an apt word. "Keh" was all I uttered before I jumped to land on the old hag's hut's roof to sleep and gaze at the moon.


	6. Chapter 6: Three Shadows

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Though the pun is mine.

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Chapter 6: Three Shadows

I sighed as I walked into the hut. 'I am definitely going to need a bath tomorrow. Then I can find my way home. It will be two days by tomorrow night. I miss home.' I thought as I prepared my futon for me to sleep on. I decided to sleep as much as I could and do everything in my power to get home tomorrow. My time was safe and there were no demons. Not only that, but everyone I knew is there; my friends and family, as well as future.

Modern times:

There was a knock on the Higurashi's door signaling someone was there and Ms. Higurashi answered to find a tall young man standing in the doorway. "Oh, good evening. How can I help you?" she asked the tall man with long black hair and hazel eyes.

"Yes, I was wondering if Kagome was here?" he asked in a smooth voice.

"No, I am sorry, but she isn't. If you would like I can tell her you stopped by." She answered and the tall man said his gratitude and walked to the shadows close to the well house where he met his two other companions.

"You were right. She did disappear, not only that but I can definitely smell the scent of a demon from in the well house." He reported to his two companions in the shadows.

"We should get back to head-quarters and report this. We were supposed to do one thing and we botched it up." Said an irritated female voice.

"Agreed. Let's go. I don't want to spend any more time there than I need to" scowled a different voice also belonging to a female. Said female raised her hand in the dark and opened a portal of shadows to a different place in the city. Then all three of the unknown persons entered the shadows and were gone from the grounds of the Higurashi shrine. While its inhabitants were none the wiser as to what had transpired.

Meanwhile, Ms. Higurashi was cleaning the dishes and looking out the window to stare at the Sacred Tree wondering where her daughter had gone to, and if Souta's story was true. She prayed that it wasn't; she didn't want anything to happen to her daughter or for her to go someplace she couldn't reach. Ms. Higurashi sighed as she recalled what her husband had told her before he died 7 years ago of cancer, "You must give Kagome these items once she shows signs of changing, then give her this on her eighteenth birthday. We must protect her no matter what, you cannot let her be found out."

Ms. Higurashi glanced to the side counter where a rectangular box lay with paper and ribbon tied around it. It was her last present from her father. She had given her one every two years, until today when she was going to give her that one, her final present from her father. "Kagome, you must come back safely, I have something very important to tell you."


	7. Chapter 7: Iron is good for you

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 7: Iron is Good for You.

Kagome woke up to the sound of birds chirping and singing to the new day. She looked up hoping she was in her own room and that the whole thing with jewel and the Sengoku Jidai was just a strange dream. And… it wasn't she was still in the hut she was in last night and sleeping on wood did not make her bruises feel any better. Yes, she only had bruises and scabs today, even though yesterday she had broken bones and a large laceration on her side with the puncture marks of the demons claws. Her shirt was ruined, but her skin was mostly intact. She never did scar or have broken bones for very long, but the process had taken a lot less time than it had previously. She needed to get home and talk to her mom, maybe even schedule an appointment with her doctor. After all ever since the accident when she was 11 she had her own personal physician because of her genetic mutation.

"Alright let's go and find Kaede. I have something I want to ask her…" she said to no one in particular. She walked out of the hut into the warm light of the sun. When she found Kaede she asked her for what she wanted and a bow and arrows to practice. She then walked to the woods to find a spot where she could practice archery. When she came to another small clearing where the trees were thick she decided that this was a good spot to practice.

Kagome's Point of view:

'After I am done practicing I will take a bath in the river to the south east of here and find my way home. My best bet is to go to the well and figure out just what the hell actually happened' I thought to myself and decided to notch an arrow and aim at a nearby tree. I stretched the bowstring back and took a breath, then released the arrow. 'Hit it!'

It missed. Actually it hit something, but missed the tree I aimed at completely. I was definitely not a natural at this. I sighed as I notched another to try again, and again I missed. Oh, well practice makes perfect.

I notched my last arrow after about an hour of firing countless arrows, some missed and some hit the tree, while none hit the spot I was aiming for. Not only that, but my arm was killing me from repeatedly pulling the bow string back. It took a lot more strength than I thought it would for me to actually pull the bow into the position to fire the arrow. After this I would find that river and bath for a while since it was relatively secluded from prying eyes. As I pulled back the bow string with the arrow, preparing to fire, I remembered what Kaede had said about priestesses. That they were able to put their purifying energy into an object and use it as a weapon in battle. In fact most priestesses used bows and arrows as a weapon of choice, at least, that is what Kaede had said. So I lowered the bow and focused.

Inuyasha's view point:

"Damn, wench. She left without anyone. Though I could care less what happens to her, it is the jewel I want." I cursed as I flew the trees to find that insufferable wench, who had **my **jewel. "Damn it."

I was currently following her scent, and I could tell I was getting close, when an arrow came flying out of nowhere. 'I am going to **murder her!'** I internally yelled as I dodged the arrow just in time. I dropped to the ground to avoid any other deadly flying objects. I circled the small clearing until I was able to view her properly. I was positioned so that I could see her, but she couldn't see me. I watched her from the side as she notched another arrow and fired. She did this for I don't know how long until she was on her last arrow. 'Finally, I **so** do not want to get shot again' I thought to myself as I was getting ready to climb down from the tree I was watching her from. Then she lowered her bow and arrow. 'What is she doing?' I thought to myself as I watched her concentrate. She then slowly opened her eyes, what I saw made me do a double take. Her eyes were blue. Not the chocolate brown that held so much emotion, but an almost glowing light blue. Then I sensed it, her power. It was different from that of a normal priestess, it wasn't reiki, but it also wasn't demonic, so it wasn't youki either. It just felt like energy. It was a weird feeling and I didn't like it.

The girl pulled back her bow and aimed her arrow at the tree that had multiple arrows already sticking out from it. The next moment she let the arrow fly. A blue film of power enveloped the arrow and struck the tree. What I didn't expect was the bright flash of light and the small hole in trees trunk. That was not a purifying arrow. I stared at the tree in awe, until I saw another object flying towards me. I dodged the thing and nearly fell out of the tree in the process. I looked to where my head once was only to find a dagger stuck in the bark. "Show yourself, or the next one will go through your heart. You won't be able to dodge the next one." The wench stated.

"What the hell Wench!?" I yelled as I jumped from the tree to see her standing in the middle of the clearing with another dagger in her hand, ready to throw it. I noticed her eyes were back to their original chocolate brown color.

"I should be asking you that. Jeez, I could have killed you. You are lucky I was aiming for beside your head." She stated as she let out a relieved breath.

"If I didn't dodge, my brain would have had a heavy dose of iron in it." I seethed, trying to look pissed and threatening, but this girl knows no fear. Or is just not afraid of me. I almost smiled at that, until I heard her response.

"Yeah, well iron is good for you. Besides the worst it would have done is it would have cut your hair. Speaking of which, why is it so long?" she questioned in an innocent tone as she reached to grab my hair. "Hmmm, I could give you a haircut, or at least brush your hair for you. Ooooh, it is so soft!" she squealed.

"Enough of that, what is your problem! You almost killed me and I am thoroughly pissed at that!" I yelled at her.

"Jeez, I told you already, it would not have hit your head. And again if you are going to bluff, do it right. You may seem pissed, but you were just watching out for me right?" she questioned me.

I had to stop a blush at her question and retorted, "Keh, yeah right, stupid. I was just watching out for the jewel." As I said this I pointed to her chest where the jewel was hanging from a shell necklace. Next to it however was another band of leather that held a small quartz like crystal at its end. The crystal was clear with a smoky blue design twisting inside of it. It was strange.

"Hey eyes on the face, buster." She scowled at me as I noticed her scent spike and become the spicy scent of her anger. I realized what she meant and this time I did blush.

"Keh, why would I want to look at you? You are not that pretty" I lied. She was pretty, with her brown eyes and raven hair. I could tell that she was built with muscles and curves in all the right places. She also had a nice chest, though I really was looking at her necklace.

I swore I saw steam coming from her ears and the look on her face was scary. 'Damn' that was the only thought I managed to get through my dysfunctional brain.

"OSUWARI!" she screamed loud enough to make my ears hurt. "You are such an arrogant ass! Oh, and I am so not apologizing for what happened because I really wasn't aiming for you. If you must know there was someone right behind you and the tree." She huffed and headed south east. While I took in the information she had given me and tried to keep the dirt out of my mouth.

"What the hell do you mean, 'there was someone behind me' I didn't sense or smell anyone or anything" I rudely questioned her.

"All I know is what I sensed was not friendly and it wasn't you. So yes there was something there, you just failed to notice it" she smugly said. Then abruptly turned around and headed for the tree I was almost killed in a few moments ago.

"Oi, wench what the hell are you doing this time" I asked obviously annoyed.

"Getting the dagger back. Kaede lent them to me. I can use them for defense until I can go home." She answered as she started to climb the tree. I just stood there and enjoyed watching her try to climb the tree. After she failed to get a good grip on the tree she looked around and backed up a few steps. Then she ran towards a nearby tree and jumped, then pushed off of the trunk with one foot to jump to another tree's branches. She grabbed the tree branch and swung to another higher up branch of another tree. She repeated this action a few more times until she reached the branch where I was watching from. I was impressed that she had managed to do that. After all she was wounded only yesterday… There is something seriously wrong with this girl. There is no way she is human. Absolutely no way.


	8. Chapter 8: Bath Time!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 8: Bath Time!

I finally made it up to the tree branch where the dagger was imbedded into the tree. It was in there deep and I was tired from archery practice and doing a gymnastics routine just to get up on this branch. This was going to be harder than I had first anticipated. Well no time like the present.

I began to pull on the dagger that was imbedded in the tree's bark, but it was stuck fast. So I used my foot to gain leverage against the dagger. I pulled with what strength I had remaining and yanked the dagger out of the tree. Then I lost my balance, in a high up tree, near the top. 'Crap' was all I thought as I was hurtling to the ground and breaking branches along the way. I really hope that Inuyasha is going to save me from hitting the ground because I really don't want to fall to the hard unforgiving grou… Bam! 'That bastard! What the hell is he thinking! Okay breath and take inventory, then skin him alive, or osuwari his ass to make him feel what I felt. That one requires a lot less work. I go for Osuwari.' I thought to myself as I looked up and saw a slightly annoyed half demon staring at me with an eyebrow raised. 'Yes, I am going to Osuwari his ass for sure.' I thought as I finally was able to move and pick myself up off of the ground. "Why… didn't… you … catch me? Do you… enjoy watching… people fall… out of … trees?" I asked in an extremely angry tone as I was still trying to get air into my lungs. 'When I am done with him he won't even know what hit him… scratch that he will know **exactly** what hit him. Repeatedly' I thought to myself as I waited for him to respond to my questions.

He simply shrugged his red clad shoulders and responded in an almost unsatisfied manner, "Well I figured that if you were to die the jewel would be mine and I wouldn't have to deal with your screaming ass anymore. Oh and I figured you would be fine anyway, because you said that you did fall out of a tree before. Although I was hoping for the first one immensely." He answered me. If I was pissed before, I was **livid** now. I was even considering how many commands it would take him to end up clear on the other side of the world. We are even. I freed him, he saved my life. Which means I could kill him without leaving a debt unpaid. Oh the glorious choices I could pick. Though having him fear the word 'Osuwari' was still a fun prospect. Alright, I am going to Osuwari his ass to the next century.

Inuyasha's point of view:

I looked at her reaction to my answer and I could see the fire burning in her eyes and her scent sparked marvelously, honestly this is somewhat fun and entertaining. Then her face became almost peaceful and a maniacal smile spread across her face and I swore the space around us chilled a few degrees in response to what she was plotting. For the first time in a long time I felt fear. 'Damn. This isn't good' I thought as she looked up and into my eyes. Her eyes held the same fire, but they also held a glint promising hell to anyone it was aimed at. 'I am so screw…' "OSUWARI!" she screamed and I became acquainted with the ground, again. "OSUWARI! OSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARI! OSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARI!" I HATE THIS WOMAN! Was all I could think repeated as she let loose that string of subduing commands. Some day and somehow, I was going to kill her. Definitely. But for now I had to concentrate on the fact that I had dirt in places where dirt was never supposed to go. I vaguely hear her saying that she was going to bathe. 'Damn wench.'

Kagome's point of view:

"He is such an ass. Just because I look like his ex. Good lord, why do I always attract or become friends with the weird ones" I said out loud as I thought about my four best friends from the future, Tora, Kara, Aya and Jak. None of them were normal by any standards. Tora was hotheaded and a serious pervert, hence past summers spent skinny dipping as kids. Kara, was a smart, and calm girl, but was dark in personality and enjoyed dressing me and Aya up in cosplay and corsets. Oh all of the Within Temptation concerts we went to, she is a rebel. Oh, and did I mention she has been married for 4 years. Aya is a foreigner with ash blond hair who seems sweet and innocent, but is as sly as a cat in anything that she does, especially matchmaking. Jak is a wonderful guy and a best friend. I always go to him for fashion advice and even his boyfriends sometimes as well. 'I probably should not show him Inuyasha. Then again he is in France for work right now, so I don't think that would be a pro… nope not a problem because I am still stuck in the past. I want to go home.' I thought to myself as a hilarious situation popped into my head between Inuyasha and Jak as to what would transpire. I miss my friends greatly, but after they all graduated the 4 of them left to go their separate ways. Aya went back to Canada, her home country, Kara went to Brazil and Tora went to India to stay and work with some other relatives. I miss them and the horrible things we would do together. I sighed and thought back to why Inuyasha is the way he is. I got nothin'.

I sighed and found my way to the river and set my bow and arrows down as well as the clean set of priestess clothes Kaede had given me. I next set down one of the two daggers she lent as I used the other one to cut twigs for a fire and send sparks to start it on the dried leaves and kindling. Soon I had a small fire going so that I could dry my torn clothes later. 'I liked these jeans, too.'

As soon as I was sure the fire wasn't going to go out anytime soon I stripped off my torn camisole, white top and jeans and left them on the pebbled bank of the river after I had cleaned them and hung them to dry. I took off my tennis shoes and socks, the few things that weren't completely unsalvageable. I hesitated in taking my undergarments off and looked around to ensure I was in fact alone. When I felt comfortable in my surroundings I decided to unlatch my bra from its position against my chest. It was a magenta bra, made with a silk like material. Then I moved to take off my pink and green boy short panties that said 'Booty Camp' in bright green letters on the butt. I walked up to the water clutching my chest. I was fortunate compared to most girls, I was a nice C-cup, my breasts weren't too big to be uncomfortable in sports and troublesome when finding a good shirt, but not too small that they couldn't draw attention to them. All in all I was happy how my body turned out and training nearly every day definitely helped in the muscle and toned department. I walked to the edge of the water and felt how freezing cold it actually was. 'A bath is not supposed to be anything **close** to a polar plunge' I thought as I walked to an outcropping in the calm part of the river where it lead to deeper water. I took a few steps back and, like anyone in my position, I ran full speed ahead and jumped into the freezing water. It is true that when you submerge your head under the water you are not as cold, but that still does not change the fact that the water is freezing.

"HOLY CRAP IT'S COLD!" I yelled as I surfaced from under the water. It was freezing, but I had to get the demon blood off of my skin and out of my hair. I hated the smell of it and I knew I needed a bath anyway. So I just decided to grin and bear it as I washed the blood and guts from my skin and hair. When I turned around I did not expect someone to staring at me from a nearby tree. 'I'll KILL HIM!'


	9. Chapter 9: Really?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, and I never will.

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Chapter 9: Really?

After I managed to claw my way from the earth that I was plummeted in moments ago I decided to find the damnable wench and give her another piece of my mind, get this fucking rosary off and take the jewel. Yep that was a plan. That was the plan, until I came across her getting ready to bathe. 'Well, she isn't much to look at, but what are those things she has on?' I thought as I saw her take the strange wrapping from her chest and pull the other strange cloth from her nether region. I had to hand it to her, her body was nice, for a human. I probably would have enjoyed myself, if I wasn't after the jewel at the moment, or the fact that her body was still covered in bruises. Not only the old ones from the day before, but the ones from only minutes ago after she fell from the tree. 'I probably should have caught her' I thought to myself somewhat guiltily as I made myself comfortable in a nearby tree. I saw her, as she covered her chest, test the water and visibly shiver. She then walked around to an outcropping that jutted into the river and led to deeper water. I saw her take a few steps back and then run and jump into the deep water.

After a few moments I thought she had drowned, but then I saw her come up for air and swear about how cold the water was. I lazily watched as she washed the blood and grime from her once pale creamy skin. I saw her wince as she washed her bruises and small wounds that had yet to heal. I could see the irritated pink and blue area where the demon had taken the jewel from her body. My eyes traveled lower and studied the fading bruises on her ribs and the irritated pink nail marks left from where the demon grabbed her. Then my gaze traveled up to rest on her slender neck where the ugly purple and green bruise still resided. She is damn lucky that she heals the way she does because she would have been dead. I scowled at that thought. Honestly I didn't like to kill if I didn't have to, but this girl was very annoying and she had the jewel, yet I still did not want to kill her. In all honesty she is most likely innocent, she may have the training of a fighter, but she looked like she never saw battle. She doesn't belong here and she isn't Kikyo.

I sensed a sinister aura coming from the wench's location and snapped my head up to look into her eyes. If looks could kill, I would be… no I would have been dead many times already. Her brown eyes blazed as she glared at me and covered her chest as she sank lower into the water. "_If you value your life, I would suggest you turn around before I O-S-U-W-A-R-I your ass to hell."_ She was practically spitting venom when she talked to me, it sent a shiver down my spine. Not the good kind either. No these were the 'I am going to die' shivers that you get when facing a terrifying enemy. So I did what she said. I had no intention of getting personal with ground again today.

I could hear her getting out of the water to put on clothing. I also heard her shaking something, probably the wet clothes she had hung to dry by the fire. I heard her sigh before she spoke, "You can turn around now I changed."

"Well it's about damn time…" I trailed off as soon as I saw her. She was wearing priestess clothing, and she looked so much like Kikyo. It unnerved me and made me recall memories that I wanted to forget. I did not like her in those clothes.

"Okay, why are you scowling at me now? After all it is me who has a right to be angry after all the shit you pulled to day. You are just lucky that I haven't sent you to hell yet because something tells me that you have a stupid reason for staring at me while I was naked." She said while staring me down the best she could. Meanwhile I was trying to process what she had said to me.

"What the hell do you mean that you have a right to be angry?! Then what was that back at the clearing throwing a knife at me and then sinking me into a hole? Huh?" I countered. We really are not good for each other, all we do is fight… and fight.

"Well I wouldn't have thrown it at you had you not been spying on me from the shadows. And would it have killed you to keep me from hitting the ground after I fell from the tree?!" she screeched back at me. "Oh, and since when was it okay to stare at a naked woman?!" her voice rose and it hurt my ears.

"I wasn't ogling you! I was making sure the jewel was safe!" I yelled back at her.

"Yeah right, that is why I saw you staring intently at my breasts. Really you are such a lecher." She spat angrily at me.

"I was not!"

"Really? Then what were you staring at?" she questioned me with furrowed brows.

I stuttered as I answered her with a slight blush at what I was admitting. "I… I was looking at your… bruises." In truth I was somewhat worried about her. She is a good person, but has a nasty temper.

"You were worried about me?" she asked in a much quieter tone than before.

"Keh" was all I answered as I looked away from her face. Then I turned around and asked her another question, "So, if you want to go home, can you give me the jewel?"

I saw a vein twitch on her forehead and eyes held an annoyed glare in them. "Osuwari." She said to me as I plummeted to the ground close to where she was once standing. I barely saw her walking away as I strained my head against the pull of the rosary.

"Oi! Where are you going?!" I shouted at her as she stalked back into my forest.

"HOME!" she shouted back.

"At Least give me the jewel first, wench!" I shouted at her as I was straining to pull against the rosary.

"Is it that hard to remember a name, Inuyasha? It is Kagome! Learn it!" she snapped back at me and let another 'osuwari' slip past her lips and I was once again acquainted to the ground. Wonderful.


	10. Chapter 10: Feed the Birds

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha, but the pizza I am eating is good! Mmmmm.

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Chapter 10: Feed the Birds

Kagome's point of view:

I stomped back in the direction of the well. If I could get home, it would be my best bet. It did bring me here so logic reasons that it can take me back. I was walking through the forest internally cursing Inuyasha and what had happened. Thanks to him I had bruises on my bruises from falling out of that tree. I kept stomping through the forest in the general direction of the well and didn't notice the beady red eyes staring at me from the tree tops or the fact that the shadows on the ground shifted unnaturally in the light. At least, not until I felt the claws of a demon on my back.

Inuyasha's point of view:

I stalked back to the village to give that woman a piece of my mind. Again. When I arrived there I went to find Kaede and ask her where she was. "Kagome has yet to return. Inuyasha ye know the dangers of the forest even in the daylight." Kaede admonished me. I decided to look around the village instead of answering her. I didn't smell her anywhere in the village. Then a gust of wind brought with it the scent of blood. I knew that blood, it was sickeningly sweet and almost addicting.

She was in danger, and so was the jewel.

Kagome's point of view:

When the bird demon had clawed my back with its talons I let out a scream. I heard my flesh tear, it sounded like cloth being torn to shreds, except it was skin. I could feel the blood running down my back and dripping to the ground.

I was running in the direction of the well now and hoped that I would get there in time. I heard the ugly black bird demon shriek and come back for another strike. I tried to dodge it, but it caught my shoulder and sliced into the flesh of neck. I fell to the ground and grasped my now bleeding neck as I watched the jewel roll away. I got up to run after the jewel, not wanting a repeat of what happened with the mutant bug thing. Although I was too slow and it swallowed the jewel whole. The strangest thing was that I could see the jewel through its flesh as it eventually settled in its stomach. I watched as it grew to a much larger size, like a van.

It turned its beady red eyes to me and shrieked before it dug its much larger claws into my flesh and launched itself off of the ground and into the air. I screamed for it to let go and pull its talons out of my flesh, but all it did was tighten its grip on my body. I could feel my arm breaking under the pressure as it lacerated the muscle and my stomach. I thought that what that centipede demon had done was painful, but this was excruciating sharp pain every time I moved to get out of its grasp and prevent myself from becoming dinner. I reached into the sleeves of the priestess garb I was wearing and found one of the daggers. When the bird-thing suddenly swerved in flight as yellow beams of light came flashing past my head. I looked down at the ground to see Inuyasha in his red outfit running and I could almost hear the string of curses running from his mouth as tried to catchup with the bird holding me captive. Though by the looks of where he was aiming he didn't care for me so much as for the jewel.

I was about to raise the dagger up again when another attack came hurdling past me that the bird-demon-thing dodged. Yet when it dodged it tightened its grip on me even tighter and I screamed in pain again and dropped the dagger.

Inuyasha's Point of view:

I could smell her enticingly sweet blood as ran to find her. When I did she was in the grasp of a mutated corpse crow. No doubt the stupid girl allowed it to swallow the jewel. I ran after the damn thing intent on getting the jewel as well as freeing that troublesome girl. I attacked the thing with my steel claws, only to have it dodge and nearly hit the wench. 'Damn it' I internally cursed as I tried again and it dodged, again. Only this time it must have tightened its already tight grip on the girl because she cried out in pain. She was losing a lot of blood, which was not good considering she had just been attacked yesterday. If what she told me really is the truth then she could really die this time, if anything from the loss of blood.

I vaguely registered a shining object falling to the ground just out of my peripheral vision. I had my eyes on the wench trying to figure out a way to get her away from the damn bird without killing her. Then I saw a shining glint in her hand as she pulled out a dagger and readied to strike. If she hit her target she would fall to her death. Her falling from the tree was different, no this time if she fell she would die. She was high above the trees as the crow flew with her in its grasp. I just hoped I would catch her in time.

Kagome's point of view:

I reached back into my sleeve again as I reached for my last dagger that Kaede had leant me. I called what power I could to focus in the blade. Then I located the jewel, because I knew that this bird was not meant to have it, and I plunged the dagger into the bird's stomach. When the dagger hit the jewel the bird-demon thing disappeared in a light pink cloud of dust. Then the jewel itself shone brightly and let loose energy that knocked me to the ground faster than gravity was. As I was falling I felt something hit my hand and grabbed it before it left my grasp. Then I felt my head hit something hard and unforgiving and all I saw was darkness.

Inuyasha's point of view

I watched as she plunged the glowing blue dagger into the corpse crow's stomach and purified it. Then there was a bright light and a burst of energy fling from where the jewel was. Then there were hundreds of tiny lights shooting in all directions in the sky. 'I hate this day' I thought as I shielded my eyes form the bright light. I couldn't see anything, which meant I couldn't see the wench. I had no idea if she was okay or if she was currently lying in a puddle of her own blood on the ground. To be honest I was worried about her. When the light cleared I saw no one in the clearing but me. It was an unsettling feeling, 'What if she just disappeared?' I asked myself as I searched for her. Using my nose was impossible because the smell of her blood permeated the air, there were small puddles of it on the ground that had spilled from her while she was in the demons grasp. I searched for her and I never found her. Then I saw the well in the center of the clearing just outside of the tree line. Her scent went all the way up to the well and inside of it, but when I looked for her at its bottom she wasn't there. I decided to search the surrounding area for the girl hoping she wasn't dead. If I found no trace of her I would investigate the inside of the well. I tried to prevent myself from thinking what would happen if I did find her, but she wasn't there anymore.

I never promised to protect her, it wasn't my responsibility, but I still felt responsible for her. She had a temper, but also a good heart and she didn't seem to mind that I am a half demon. She is different, kind and fiery. I would find her, even if she was dead.

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A/N: Well I have done countless of these, but here we go, the first (posted) A/N for this fic, but bonus points if you can name the movie the title of this chapter came from! Thank you for reading and please review!


	11. Chapter 11: Bloody Well

Diclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 11: Bloody Well

Everything hurt. It hurt to move, to breath, even to think. Everything was painful, even the blood I felt trickling out of my wounds seemed to burn with white hot pain. It reminded me of when I was 11 and had to be sent to the hospital for a month. All I knew was darkness and pain, but I had to wake up. I have to wake, or I would forfeit my life. No matter how excruciating the pain is I have to wake up and get to safety. When I try to open my eyes pain shot through my skull, but they had to open. I have to know where I am. I have to get help. So I have to open my eyes, no matter the pain I feel.

I slowly opened my eyes after trying many times, and noticed that I was in very little light and at the bottom of some sort of pit. I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by walls lined with stone and that there was an opening far at the top of the pit framed by wood. I am not in a pit, I am in a well with a roof over it. I am home. That realization brought tears of relief to my eyes as I realized that I was once again where I belong. I was, no I AM home.

I heard a rattling of the door to the well house and waited as I heard someone taking the steps down to the well. I looked up to the opening of the well and saw my mother's tearful face as she looked down at me. "Kagome! You came back!" she happily exclaimed as her tears began to fall.

"Mom" I said in an unusually raspy voice, "Mom, get a ladder" I told her and she rushed out of the well house after she nodded her understanding. I didn't know if I had enough strength to climb it, but I was going to have to in order to get help for my wounds. I looked around me and saw that the white top of the priestess outfit was now almost the same color of the pants. 'I lost a lot of blood and I am still losing it' I thought to myself and found that I was sitting in a puddle of my own blood. I felt a sharp stab in my hand and looked down to see a glowing shard of pink that looked eerily the same shade of pink as the jewel. 'I really hope that this is not what I think it is' I thought to myself as I heard my mom lowering the ladder down the well. Lucky for me she brought a wood ladder and not one of the rope ones we had.

"Alright honey, the ladder is stable. Can you climb out?" she asked in a worried tone that only would come from a mother. I silently nodded to her as I readied my body to move. I was stiff and still in so much pain, but I had to get out of here or else I really could die. Another thing I couldn't do was go to a hospital and my 'special' physician is out of the country for this month. I would have no way to explain this to a doctor, let alone my own mother. The last time I was at the hospital the doctors and nurses had a hay day with how fast I healed. I was afraid that I was going to become a science experiment so we got a special physician to help me when I would get hurt. She said that it was a rare mutation in my cells that allowed them to reproduce themselves faster, or something like that. I prefer art to science, but right now I prefer a nice bed to a hard dirt.

I moved some more trying to get to my feet and fighting to not black out, again. I was finally able to make my way over to the ladder and began to climb. There was no doubt in my mind that I was not a demon because if I was I would not be in this situation; bleeding, about to pass out, and climbing up a ladder. No because if I was a demon, like Inuyasha I would have smelled, sensed whatever the thing that attacked, not only that but I would have been able to kill it faster. He probably has a faster healing time than I do as well, that bastard. Actually the whole time I was there in that strange past I was either training, healing, fighting with the irate half demon or getting my ass kicked. It was not a pleasant experience. Not at all.

I finally, after much struggle and cursing a white haired half demon, made it to the top of the well and simply let myself fall forward. I was exhausted, wounded and extremely irritated. "Kagome! What happened?! Where did you get these wounds?!" my mother screamed at me in shock at how badly I was damaged. I felt her pull me the rest of the way out of the well. "I am taking you to the hospital." She stated to me as she struggled to take me up the steps and out of the well house.

"Mom, how am I supposed to explain this?" I questioned my mother with a raspy voice. I could see worry in her eyes as she looked over my wounds. She knew that my physician was out of the country for the rest of the month.

Normal POV:

'Why did this happen when she is not in the country? I know I can't take Kagome to a hospital, not after what happened last time. I just am glad that they had covered it up and Kagome remembers none of what happened. Oh, Kagome, what am I going to tell you?' Mrs. Higurashi thought to herself as she lugged her daughter out of the well house and into the living room of their two story house. She laid Kagome down on the couch and ran to find their first aid box, as well as blankets and a change of clothes for later.

Kagome's Pov:

Mom laid me on the couch, which would soon be soaked in my blood, and I watched as she went to retrieve the first aid kit from the back room. I still hurt everywhere and I tried not to move and reopen any wounds that may have closed. Sadly, this pain reminded me of my best friend Kara and what we would get ourselves into. I met Kara when I was ten and she happened to be thirteen at the time. She had moved around a lot and had to start school two years later than everyone else, but that didn't hamper her mind at all. The most ironic part is that she skipped three grades and graduated from university a year early, which just so happened to coincide with high school graduation. She was extremely book smart, but her 'brilliant' ideas landed them in trouble on many an occasion. Kara was the reason she had to go to the hospital when she was eleven, why she had twenty detentions in junior high, why she still has a bike instead of a car, the list goes on and on. Yet with all of the crap that Kara roped her into she was glad that she was her friend. After all Kara was there for her when her father died, she was her shoulder to cry on. 'I miss her so much' I thought to myself as I watched my mom rush back to the side of the couch with a first aid kit, a bucket of water, towels and scissors. I realized that I was so wrapped up in reminiscing that I had forgot about the pain, now that I had remembered it was back with a vengeance and the removing of my clothing was not helping to sooth the pain. 'I made up my mind. I hate birds.' I thought as I cringed under my mother's fingers, which were carefully cutting the blood soaked material away from my body. Then everything started to get hazy and blurry until all I saw was darkness.

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi asked her now unconscious daughter as she finished removing her soaked garment from her chest. "Rest for now, but I have something to give you when you wake up. And you have a lot of explaining to do as well" she said to her exhausted daughter as she brushed a strand of hair from her pale face. "Make sure you come back to me." Mrs. Higurashi said with sad and worried eyes.

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A/N: well, this is not the last time that we will see Kagome seriously injured. Well I hope you enj... well I don't know anyone who would really actually enjoy this chapter... thank you fore reading and please review!


	12. Chapter 12: Dreams

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Inuyasha. Thus I am able to write this story.

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Chapter 12: Dreams

_"__Daddy! Daddy! Look what I can do" said a young Kagome as she did a back flip for her father._

_Her father laughed in turn as he watched his daughter's happy face as she, somewhat sloppily, executed a back flip, "Good job Kagome, I am so proud of you!" he told his six year old daughter. He loved his daughter more than he could even fathom. He loved her the moment that she was dropped into his arms three years ago. He would never forget that day. That day he had found her in the well house._

_ "__Daddy! Tell me a story! Tell me the story of the Priestess and the Demon!" she excitedly asked her father._

_Her father simply smiled at her and sat beneath the branches of the Sacred Tree. He motioned for her to sit next to him as he began to tell the story. "A long, long, long time ago there was a beautiful and very powerful priestess. She had long beautiful hair and pail skin. On her forehead was a four pointed star to signify her blood. She was powerful and helped all of those around her, even demons. She would also fight against the demons and keep them from disturbing peace. She did this because she was a warrior priestess, instead of bows and arrows she would use a beautiful sword. Her name was… you know I can't remember her name. Do you know, Kagome?" he asked his amused daughter._

_ "__Midoriko" she exclaimed, "Her name was Midoriko daddy. I want to be like Midoriko and be strong and beautiful!" she beamed at her father and waited for him to continue telling the story._

_ "__I'm sure you do, but I think you will be stronger and even more beautiful. Now where was I, oh, right. Her name was Midoriko. She would travel the country in search of people that she could help. One day she was attacked by many demons at once and she thought she was done for." He watched his mesmerized daughter's face as she gasped at his story, "Then when she was about to be devoured, a bright light came and destroyed all of the demons. There in the field stood a tall and handsome demon. He was no ordinary demon, his hair was long and it was a smoky blue color. His eyes were a bright blue that seemed to glow. The priestess recognized the type of demon he was. After all this race had gifted humans with the power of purification long before she was born. The demon belonged to a peaceful and old race that had lost its name to time, but the humans called them Divine Demons. They had power over power. They were rare and sought after by both humans and demons alike. Which is what stunned the priestess, because she was able to see one. Not only see one, but she fell in love with demon. Her, a priestess and a demon. She stood and asked the handsome demon for its name. He simply smiled at her and said, 'My name is Akihiro, Priestess.' Then he vanished and left the priestess with just his name." He looked at his daughter and smiled to see her sleeping silently. He patted her head and quietly said, "Sweet dreams my beautiful warrior." He then carried her back into the house and laid her down to sleep in her bed._

_He got up to leave when he felt a small hand grasping his shirt, "Daddy? Tomorrows my birthday, make sure you tell me the story again, Okay?" young Kagome asked her father._

_ "__Of course sweetheart, if you promise me something?" he asked her._

_ "__Okay daddy." She said with sleepy eyes._

_ "__In the future I will give you four very important gifts. When I do you must never part with them, do you understand?" he asked his now interested daughter._

_ "__But, daddy why can't I have the presents now?" she asked in a whining voice._

_Her father simply chuckled at his daughter, "You will receive them when you need them and not a moment sooner." He said as he flicked her nose in a playful manner and earned a laugh from his daughter._

_ "__Okay daddy. Goodnight." She said ending in a yawn. Her father smiled and tucked her in and placed a kiss on her forehead while he whispered 'goodnight' to his daughter._

Kagome woke up from a pleasant dream. She remembered always asking to hear that story and ones about other demons and princesses. She missed her father dearly, but knew that there was nothing she could do. She looked down at her right hand to see the silver and blue ring that rested on her ring finger. Her last years present from her father. Then she looked to her left wrist and saw the black elegant chain with a single tiny white crystal hanging from it, she had received it as a present for her fifteenth birthday. She tried to move her arms, but winced and remembered that she was attacked, again, by a demon. She tried her other hand experimentally. It hurt to move too, but it was still movable compared to her other broken arm. She slowly lifted her arm to the spot above her chest and below her neck feeling for something that wasn't there. She gasped, 'My pendant! I lost it!' she panicked and then saw her mother walk into the room with bandages and new washed clothes.

"Kagome, you shouldn't move any more than you need to." Her mother scolded her as she helped her sit up and began cleaning and redressing her wounds.

"Mom, I lost the necklace! I lost it!" Kagome rasped out worriedly.

"Shh, it's okay sweetie, we will find it I promise." Her mother soothed. Yet under the surface she knew that Kagome needed that necklace more than she knew. It protected her and would continue to do so, so long as it was on her person. Kagome simply nodded and helped her mother redress her wounds to the best of her ability. Briefly she thought of the silver haired half demon before sleep claimed her once again.

Inuyasha's POV:

I had searched for her for hours and I still couldn't find her or the jewel. I had questions that needed answering and the only person who could answer them had disappeared. I was getting annoyed and found myself at the well once again. It still held the scent of her blood on the inside of its walls. I jumped in to investigate the area. What I did not expect was the glowing blue and purple light to envelop me, or to end up in a different time.

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A/N: And Inuyasha is back! Thank you for reading and please review! :)

The answer to the question I asked in earlier chapters was: Mary Poppins.


	13. Chapter 13: Click

Disclaimer: Nope. 13 is not a lucky number because I still don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 13: Click

Once Inuyasha went down the well and faint purple and blue light shone up from its depths a tall dark and shadowed figure came from behind a tree and went to the look down the well. "So, only those two can go through. I care not, so long as that girl comes back. I can't wait to feel her blood run down her neck." He said sadistically as he chuckled. He went to walk away when something sparkled in the grass next to the well. It was a pendant. The strange figure simpered maliciously and bent down to pick it up.

Inuyasha's POV:

I looked up above me and out of the top of the well only to see a wood roof instead of sky, but that was not what had bothered me. No, what bothered me was the fact that the air in the well was bathed in the scent of her blood. There was even a still drying puddle of it on the ground. I wrinkled my nose at the scent because it was too much. I had been right, she had lost a lot of blood and was probably dead because of it. If she wasn't, there was no way that she didn't have demon blood in her. It would have been impossible for her to survive otherwise.

I jumped from the well's bottom, instead of using the bloody ladder, and landed on the lip of the wood at the top. The air still reeked of blood, but it did lead to a tall two story building. It looked strange from the huts and castles that the people would normally have built. I sniffed the air to locate the girl, but beyond the smell of her blood the air smelled dirty and smoky. I did not like this place, wherever it was, but I had to find that damn girl. So I walked up to the door that her scent led to and opened it. I internally braced myself as I prepared to find her dead. Yet I was surprised to find her bandaged and lying on a strange looking bed, breathing. I squinted my golden eyes at her in annoyance for making me worry about her.

I walked up to her heavily bandaged form and continued to glare at her. 'There is no way that she doesn't have demon blood in her. But what bothers me is that she smells human.' I thought to myself as I continued to stare at the girl in front of me. I kneeled down to be level with her on the strange bed. I looked at her face, which also had small cuts and bruises on it, and I felt my gaze soften at the extent of her injuries. 'Women should never have to endure injuries like this, especially not human women' I thought to myself as I reached my hand out to brush a dark lock of hair from her pale face. When I did this she slightly whimpered in her sleep. She had to be in a lot of pain. Which was another thing that baffled him if she had demon blood because with his demon blood he felt little pain from injuries because it would dull the pain. She was a strange girl, but what he was sure of was that she was not human.

A click I heard in the room caused me to break from my thoughts about the girl. I swiftly turned from my spot on the floor to see an older woman, well older than the girl, holding a strange piece of metal. Her face was contorted into a scowl as she spoke, "Demon, step away from my daughter or I will put a bullet in your brain and you will never see the sun rise again."

A/N: Yep. Kagome's mom has a gun.

Thank you for reading and please review!


	14. Chapter 14: A gun?

Nope. Don't own him.

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Chapter 14: A Gun?

She said determinedly. I didn't like the look on her face or that metal thing in her hand either. I bared my teeth at her and growled low in my throat as a warning to back off. The woman smelled human, and said that she was the girl's mother, but I didn't trust anyone I didn't know. Especially when they were prepared to kill me. I growled once more at the woman. She did not look the least bit frightened, but when the girl shifted in her sleep and whimpered again she nearly growled out her next words, which was impressive for a human, "I told you to get away from her. If you don't I will kill you."

I growled again, I did not like this atmosphere. An overprotective and angry mother pointing a, supposedly, deadly weapon at me. "I have questions that she needs to answer, and only she can answer them. Besides why do you call her your daughter, when she shares no blood with you?" I questioned her tensely. I really did not want to kill a woman, men were okay if they started it, but killing women and children had always left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Whether she shares my blood or not, does not make her any less of a daughter to me. What I said still remains. Get. Away. From. My. Daughter. Demon" she spat venomously. I could smell fear in her scent when the girl shifted again in her sleep. 'She is waaay too heavy of a sleeper' I absently thought not taking my eyes off of the woman in front of me. I glowered at the woman as she refused to move before I did. "I will not let history repeat itself and let her get hurt by your kind again. I refuse to let any of you touch my family" she said it as an ultimatum. I was to get away from her child or I would die.

I was about to step away when the wench moved and slowly woke up from her sleep. "Inuyasha? Mom?" she asked in a raspy voice as she looked around and registered the situation before her. She looked at me curiously then back to her mother and as she saw what her mother had aimed at me. What I did not expect her to do was screech like a banshee.

Kgome's POV:

So I wake up groggy and hurting like hell only to be faced with a red clad hanyou and my mother in the same room. You know those situations between exes that have sparks flying through the air? Well this situation had lightning bolts arcing back and forth between the two as their eyes tried to set each other on fire. 'Why the hell did I wake up?' I asked myself as I questioned if they were still there by calling their names. Then I registered what was in her hand. It was a gun. A gun? Since when did she have a gun? A gun that was pointed at Inuyasha. A gun. "WHAT" I shrieked, which caused me to go into a coughing fit due to my throat being dry and my body's lack of wanting to produce fluid to wet in order to expend its energy on creating more blood. Or at least I assumed so, either that or my own body just hated me.

Due to my coughing fit I nearly fell off of the couch, but to my surprise, Inuyasha caught me before I did so. 'Well that would have been useful earlier today' I thought to myself as I continued to cough, but I had to at least make introductions and then find out why my mom had a gun. Seriously, we live in a shrine in a good part of Tokyo, not too sure why she needs a gun. "Mom, this is Inuyasha, as you can see he isn't human. He is a hanyou who has saved my life once, so could you put down the gun?" I asked and she did what I had asked of her. "Osuwari" and Inuyasha has plummeted to the ground to be acquainted with carpet. "Inuyasha, this is my mother. Don't growl at her and stop making 'I am going to kill you eyes' at her." I said to the down hanyou next to me. He just glared at the carpet and mumbled something or other with many curses mixed in.

"Kagome, you know this demon?" my mom asked me as she placed the gun on a counter after switching the safety back on.

"Yeah, mom. He may be an ass sometimes, but he is a good guy and I trust him, mostly." I said as I shrugged to the last part, after all he did let me fall from a tree. That doesn't do wonders in the trust department. Yet he didn't kill me so that is a plus.

"Kagome what did I say about cursing?" my mother scolded.

"Ooops?" I said as I was ready to be scolded even more, especially because I had yet to tell her what had happened to me.

"You are lucky you are injured young lady, but you have some serious explaining to do and I expect it to be soon." She said as she headed off to the kitchen, probably to make dinner, judging by how dark it was outside. Souta must be staying at a friend's house again. The scary thing was that he reminded me of when I was his age. Oh the terror my friends and I caused this city.

Inuyasha's POV:

I watched as Kagome's mother set down the 'gun' and continued by scolding her for calling me an ass. 'I now know where Kagome gets her anger from' I thought as she continued to scold her daughter, injured daughter I might add. She left to go into another room that was attached to the one we were in. I glanced down at the wench who was still lying on the couch with a reminiscent look on her face. "Oi, wench. What the hell gave you the idea to come here? And where is the jewel?" I interrogated her.

"Really, all you care about is the jewel. Well I am sorry, but it was shattered when I was trying to save myself. But I do have a piece of it, or at least mom does. She probably took it from my hand when I collapsed at the well." She said, her voice sounded gravely and dry. She shouldn't be talki… wait what happened to the jewel?

"What did you say?" I said in an increasingly irritated tone.

"The jewel shattered." She stated without batting an eyelash. The fearlessness was another trait they shared. "And my names not 'wench' it is Kagome. K-A-G-O-M-E" she added. Honestly I could care less about her name, she **shattered **the jewel. This went from annoying to hell in less than a second. My dreams of becoming a full demon were on hold until we found the rest of the damn thing.

"Wench. This had better be a sick joke." I seethed at her.

"Kagome. And no, it's not, even though I wish it was. Wait how did you get here?" she asked me.

I just shrugged, "Through the well, why?" It was almost too easy to talk to her, this girl was something else. But she did say she trusted me, not many people do that. In fact I could probably count them on one hand. This girl meant change, and change meant a harder life.

I looked at her still lying on the bed thing all bandaged up. Some of her wounds were still bleeding because I saw the white and cream cloths around her torso turning pink and red. She would need her wounds redressed soon. "Inuyasha?" she asked with an uncomfortable look on her face.

"What?" I said gruffly.

"I have to go to the bathroom" well that was unexpected. What the hell am I supposed to do now?

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A/N: If you can't tell I have a strange sense of humor.

Thank you for reading and please review!


	15. Chapter 15: Answers

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The plot and OC's are mine though.

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Chapter 15: Answers…

I looked at Inuyasha, I was very uncomfortable. I hadn't gone to the bathroom since this morning. "Inuyasha?" I asked. He looked at me and let out a gruff, 'What?' and continued to scowl. "I have to go to the bathroom" I said while trying to hold my legs together the best I could.

"W-what do you want me to do about it, stupid?" he asked in an embarrassed and annoyed manner. Though the look on his face was hilarious, his eyes went wide and a small blush crept over his face. He is so innocent.

"Well, for starters how about you help me up off of the couch?" I asked with an amused look to my face. Honestly I was feeling better because most of the bleeding had stopped and the pain was slowly going away. Even though this was happening I was nowhere near mobile. I would be lucky to be able to pull down my pants and actually use the toilet.

Inuyasha scoffed at me and began to help me up off of the couch. Every time I moved I had to suppress the wince and whimper of pain. So I settled on scowling at the carpet. "Uh… wench?" he asked and I looked up after he had managed to get me to sit up on the couch.

"What?" I rasped out. I just wanted to go to the bathroom.

"Where are your clothes?" he asked, clearly embarrassed. I looked down and low and behold my chest was wrapped thoroughly, but besides underwear, I had no clothes on. I was about to shriek when the urge to go, once again made itself known.

I simply grumbled, "Okay, but I have to go. Though it's not like you haven't seen me naked before." To which statement he blushed an even deeper shade of red and turned his head to glare at the wall. 'At least I don't have to worry about my pants' I thought to myself as I pulled the blanket off of me with my not broken arm. I simply sighed as he helped me off of the couch. When I tried to stand I nearly fell.

"Oi. There is no way you can walk in your condition wench." He said in a gruff tone

"That is why you are helping me. I just need you to help me get to the bathroom without me falling flat on my face. It is the second door on the left down the hall by the way." I said unamused to the hanyou supporting me. We slowly made to the bathroom and the whole way there I was in pain from taking a few steps. If I wasn't determined to do this somewhat on my own I had a feeling that he would have carried me, or at least something. But I am proud and did not want to be carried. So, I winced and limped my way to the bathroom with Inuyasha's help.

Inuyasha's POV:

'Stupid, stubborn wench. Why in the seven hells do I have to help her? If she wasn't so stubborn and annoying I would have picked her up and took to where she needed to go, but no if I had done that I would most likely be in the ground. Stupid, stubborn wench she is going to reopen her wounds.' I grumbled to myself as I help her to the 'bathroom'. It didn't help that she was wearing nearly nothing. All she had on was the strange cloth to cover her private area and the bandages wrapping her wounds over her chest and back. 'Stupid wench.'

"Inuyasha, you can let go, I am at the bathroom. I will call one of you to help me back to the couch when I am done." She said sweetly, even though her voice was still raspy. "You should go and talk to mom and get something to eat. I have this sinking feeling that we are going to be seeing a lot of each other for a while." She said in an annoyed voice as she shut the door.

'Here I thought she would be sweet and kind for once, but she had to say something insulting.' I thought to myself and registered what she had said. 'Yeah, great idea, go talk to the woman who ten minutes ago wanted to kill me. Great.'

I walked into the kitchen and smelled something wonderful, all of my annoyances forgotten. I pulled out a strange looking stool and sat down on it as I watched the wench's mother making something in a large metal pot over a strange metal contraption. I cleared my throat to get her attention and she turned around from what she was doing to give me a smile. "I apologize for earlier, it is just that I am protective of Kagome, especially around strangers." She said as she continued to stir whatever delicious concoction was in the pot.

"Keh" was all I replied to her. Then I thought of a question I wanted to ask, "when you said that you would never let one 'us' harm her again, what did you mean?"

"Oh, that. Even though you have known her for about two days, did she tell you about when she was eleven?" I nodded to her and her face grew solemn and sad.

"Well, Kagome wasn't in an accident, she was being reckless and got herself into more trouble than she could handle. She was attacked by a group of rogue demons in a city alley. If she hadn't done what she did, she would have died."

"What did she do?" I asked, slightly intrigued.

"She purified them, but she doesn't remember any of it, so we told her she was hit by a car. I don't feel like talking about that incident any more than I have to. It brings back bad memories." She said as she placed a lid on the pot and turned a nob under it.

"Fine, then mind telling me why she smells human, but obviously has demon blood?" I asked as I studied her face. She was surprised that I knew and by her scent she was anxious as well.

"She isn't a demon, but she does have demon blood. I don't know how much or from what demon it was, but she isn't human." She sighed and her brows furrowed slightly. "My husband only told me to give her the presents he left behind on respective birthdays. He said that they kept her safe and hidden, the only other thing he told me was that she had demon blood. Which explained why she healed at an extremely fast rate." She finished telling me as she looked up with slight fear in her eyes. I turned to where she was looking and there was the wench. She looked like a fragile child that had its world shattered to a million pieces. I wasn't sure how much she had heard, but I knew that she had heard enough to know the truth of who she was. She had demon blood, she wasn't human.

A/N: Yep she is a demon, but you all knew that already.

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Thanks for reading and please review!


	16. Chapter 16: More Answers

Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine.

Chapter 16: More Answers…

I watched her face as it fell to sadness, like when you lost something or someone very important to you. Though, she did, she was no longer able to view herself as a human, she didn't belong she was an outcast in this society and an outcast in my time as well. She might as well be a hanyou, because when people know the truth that is exactly what will happen. She will no longer be welcome, she will be shamed and insulted everywhere she goes. She will be just like me. That thought brought pain with it because no one deserved to go through what I went through. I clenched my fists under the table at the fact that she and I would share the same fate.

Slowly a sad smile made its way to her face, "I figured that I wasn't necessarily human with how fast I heal, not to mention I am adopted. Yet I never considered me being part demon. Well there is nothing I can do about it now. Mom are you sure Dad never said anything else about me and my demon side?" the wench asked her mother as she took the strange stool that was next to me and sat down wearing a plush type of yukata.

"No, honey I am sorry, but he didn't, he just left you the four presents that I was to give you at certain birthdays." She said sympathetically when realization crossed her features. "That's right, he told me to give you this for your eighteenth birthday." Her mother smiled and held a rectangular box with ribbons and wrapped in something light green.

"He did?" the wench asked as her mother handed her a package. She slowly and carefully opened it and there was a piece of parchment on it. She took it off to read and as she did tears started to form in her eyes.

Kagome's POV:

I carefully opened the present that my mom handed me. It was less than a half meter long and about ten or twelve centimeters wide. It was wrapped in simple pale green wrapping paper and a dark magenta bow. I smiled softly as I saw that there was a letter attached to the box underneath. The letter was from my father. I opened the letter and slowly began to read the last words from my father.

_Dear Kagome,_

_This is your last present from me. Sweet heart I am so sorry I couldn't give it to you in person, but life isn't always fair. What I am giving you was from your real father. It will protect you and those you love. It will grow stronger as you do. Of all the things I had given you, you must never part from this. _

_Since I am not there to tell you this in person I had to write this. Kagome, you are not human, you are the last surviving member of a very powerful demon clan, but you are not a demon either. You are in between them, you have both demon and human blood flowing through you. This is not a bad thing, but it will make your life harder now that you know your secret. I know you have a great destiny ahead of you and I expect you to live and fight through it. I love you sweety and I hope you will use this gift to do great things. Go out and find your destiny, but never forget I will always be proud of you._

_Love,_

_Akira Higurashi, your Father._

_P.S. if you want to find out more about your past and who you are, follow the story of the Priestess and the Demon to the end. I love you sweetie._

By the time I was done reading the letter tears were rolling down my cheeks. I clutched the letter to my chest and quietly said, "Thanks Dad." I looked down at the brown box and opened it only to reveal another box, only this was made out of wood. It was a beautiful dark red wood with intricate designs of the four elements and the moon and sun in the middle. All the designs were done in a metallic, though each design had their specific, color; silver for air, red for fire, blue for water, green for earth, gold for the sun and a bright white silver for the moon. It was beautiful as each design merged with the center and the ones adjacent from it. The colors mixed together where they met with flawless precision. I lifted the ornate lid and in the box lay an elegant dagger surrounded by white silk. It was different from any other dagger I had ever seen. Everything about it said elegance and precision. The hilt was wrapped in black leather with an aqua teardrop stone adorning the end. The Tang was a light, metallic blue green that almost glistens in the light. The blade was made of a black metal material and was shaped in an elegant curve, while coming to a very sharp point. It was the most fluid and beautiful dagger I have ever seen.

"Kagome, you are not throwing that." My mother stated in a disciplining tone.

I stared at her as if she had said the most obvious thing, wait she did. There was no way I was going to throw this, it's not even a dagger made for throwing anyway. It was a weapon made for self-defense. Speaking of weapons, "Mom why do you have a gun?" I asked my mother who seemed almost perplexed by my question.

"Your father left it to me and taught me how to use it. He was a police officer after all." She smiled as she reminisced about old days with her husband.

"How come you didn't let me see it, or better yet teach me how to use it?" I whined at my mother.

Mom then lost her smile and gained a stern look, "Because, dear, there should be no reason for you to be in a situation that would require a gun." She then turned to look at Inuyasha and smiled, "Let's be civil and have dinner, shall we?"

Inuyasha just looked at me like she was crazy, what with went on today and all. I just gave him a look that said 'just roll with it'. "Now, who wants ramen?" my mother asked and Inuyasha gave an extremely dog like look. He cocked his head to the side in confusion and his ears twitched on the top of his head.

"Ramen?" he asked in curiosity.


	17. Chapter 17: Ramen and Jewel Shards

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine

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Chapter 17: Ramen and Jewel Shards

I could have sworn that Inuyasha had seen the face of God, when he took his first bite of ramen. He looked like he had tasted the most delicious thing in the world, though according to him it may very well have been. "I thought dogs were carnivores?" I sarcastically questioned. He simply glared at me with a mouthful of noodles. He was on his second bowl by the time I was only a quarter of the way through with mine. Although only being able to use one arm to eat is annoying, but doable.

"Arf youmf goimnf to eafmt thabf?" he questioned me while pointing to my almost half empty bowl. I am lucky I have a brother and can decipher rude. I just pushed the half empty bowl to him and lazily watched as he devoured it as if it were his last meal on this planet. I thought about my long day. It was a really, really, **really** long day. What with being attacked by a crow death demon thing, shattering the jewel, nearly bleeding to death, finding out my mom had a gun, oh and that I wasn't entirely human. This had been a long day indeed.

I then thought of something as we were eating, well Inuyasha was scarfing down food and my mom was politely consuming it, mom still had my jewel shard. "Hey mom, did you take anything out of my hand when I was unconscious?" I asked her.

She looked at me and nodded as she reached into her pocket and took out a tiny, jagged, pink stone, "Is this what you were talking about?"

"Yeah that's it thanks Mom" I said as I held out my hand for the piece of the jewel. Suddenly I felt a very dark aura coming from right next me. I slowly turned to see Inuyasha, who was finished with his ramen, glaring at me.

"_Wench!"_ he fumed. I simply narrowed my eyes at him when he called me that. Really was saying someone's name that difficult?

"Kagome. And what? I already told you what happened, so stop with the dark and scary look." I said to him with my eyes still narrowed.

"You broke it!" he yelled. I stared at him with a 'no shit, Sherlock' look on my face, but due to my mother's presence I opted to say something less… indecent.

"Really, I never would have guessed? Thank you Captain Obvious." I said with a hefty helping of sarcasm. At my comment I thought I saw a vein pop on his forehead.

"Did ya have to break it?!" he shouted at me while my mom just seemed to tune out the conversation and clean dishes after she had cleared the table.

"Yes, because at that moment I thought 'I think I will break the jewel' while I was being taken to lord knows where by a mutant crow of death that seemed hell bent on having me for dinner!" I screamed at him, which caused me to go into another coughing fit. I hate dry and sore throats.

"It was a corpse crow." He said to me. While I was concentrating on not coughing.

"Thanks for… letting me… know" I said in between coughs while I glared daggers at him. All he said in response was, 'keh'.

"So wench, what are we going to do now? Huh?" he questioned me with an annoyed expression.

"Kagome, my name is Kagome." I scolded him as I refused to answer his question as my mother gave me another, of the many I had had since I woke up, glass of water.

"Still what are you gonna do about it?" he asked as I drank my water. I simply shrugged my shoulders as my mom was staring with fascination at the both of us. Looking between the two of us when a small smile graced her lips.

"Well Inuyasha, Kagome needs to get better, she is still wounded after all. No matter how stubborn she seems." My mom said in an understanding tone.

"Mo~m!" I whined, after the umpteenth glass of what my throat was finally feeling better and my voice was returning to normal. I looked at her as I could feel a slight blush cross my nose and thought to myself while taking another drink of water, 'I'm not that stubborn.' I looked over to Inuyasha who held amusement in his gold eyes.

Then my mom chose to speak again, "So you two, when can expect dog eared grandchildren?"

Water went everywhere and Inuyasha sat next to me sputtering with as red a face as me, if not more red. After all his face looked as if it was competing in color with his haori.

"MOM! What in the world gave that crazy idea!?" I asked my mother, who apparently had an extremely overactive imagination.

Inuyasha's POV:

When her mother suggested pups I swear the wench was going to die and I was going to be as red as my clothing, if I wasn't already. Yet her comment made me somewhat disheartened, she thought that it was a crazy idea to have pups with me. Though that thought confused me as to the feelings I felt. Then she finished her statement, "I just turned eighteen, found out I had demon blood, WAS ATTACKED BY DEMONS! Oh and I have only known Inuyasha for two days. I am not that kind of girl and you know that mom!" she said clearly insulted.

I listened to what she said and found out it was everything but the fact that it was me. It made somewhat happy, this girl wasn't disgusted by me like so many others and she even trusted me. This girl is weird, very weird.

"Oh, sweetie I didn't mean it that way, but if you do decide on him make sure to give me some dog eared grandchildren okay?" she said with a smile on her face. The wench just deadpanned next to me.

"Mom, I think you should redress my wounds and then I am going to bed." She said struggling to get up.

"Kagome! You shouldn't move so much, you will reopen your wounds. Wait Kagome… Kagome where are your bandages?" her mother worried over her.

"Ummm, well I wanted to see how bad the damage is, and it's not so bad, even my broken arm feels better. None of my wounds are bleeding, I'm just still tired and sore." She smiled at her mother. 'Stubborn doesn't even come close to describing her.' I thought as the wench managed to stand on her own, much to her mother's dismay. Though she wasn't lying about the fact that her wounds no longer bled, but she was still in pain. One of the benefits of being an Inu hanyou is that I am able to scent emotions. She was surrounded in the smell of pain with pride mixed in. She was strong, but not that strong. If she kept pushing herself her wounds will reopen.

'Somehow, she is similar to myself' that thought made me smirk as I watched her limp out of the room with her mother in tow.

"Kagome, there is no possible way you will be able to get to your room it's on the second floor. I don't care how good you feel." Her mother scolded as her daughter decided it was a good idea to climb stairs in her condition. Sadly I have this bad feeling that I will have need of her later if I want the damn jewel. I sighed to myself and padded up to the two women who continued to talk to each other. Well one was worrying and the other was protesting.

"Oi, you want to go up those stairs?" I said to the wench as I pointed up to the second floor of the building.

"Yeah, I want to sleep in my own b- Kyaa! Inuyasha what are you doing?" she yelled at me. At least her throat was feeling better. I had grabbed her before she finished explaining where she wanted to go. Honestly I didn't care, the sooner she got better the sooner we would be able to figure out what the hell we were going to do with the damn jewel. I picked her up and slung her over my shoulder. Gently.

"Inuyasha! Put me down!" she yelled with a slightly raspy voice. As I ascended the stairs in a single leap. I went past each door and none of them smelled like the wench, until I came to a door that smelled of the wench. I opened it up and sat her on an elevated bed draped in pink. Never would have thought the girl liked that color, at least not with the way she acted. I then took the time to scent the room. It was saturated in her smell. The smell of flowers and strawberries was everywhere and was in everything.

"So is that how you found my room?" she asked as she watched me with amusement in her brown eyes, but her face looked scolding. I had no idea what to make of this situation. "You were sniffing for my scent weren't you?" she said with the same expression. I blushed at this comment. "Pervert" she said her eyes narrowing at me.

"W-what? I am not!" I defended myself against the girl sitting in front of me, but then I saw the amusement in her eyes once more and a smile tugging at her lips. 'This damned woman!' "Wench" I growled threateningly.

"It's Kagome, dog boy" she said with a smile still tugging her lips. I narrowed my eyes at her. 'She's teasing me! The damned woman is teasing me' I realized. I swear she is insane. She is teasing a demon! I simply growled at her with my eyes still narrowed. Then she started laughing. It sounded… pleasant. I haven't heard laughter in a long time.

"Hahaha, your face was priceless! Hahaha… ow ha ha ow. Laughing hurts." She said as she winced in pain. She clutched her side and laid down gently on the bed.

"Exactly what is your problem or are you just crazy?" I asked her as she still held the smile on her face.

"You seemed kind of tense after you saw what condition I was in from the crow's attack" she explained with heavy eyes. I could see how tired she was.

"Keh" I am really not good with words and gratitude went along with it. So her getting anything but that response was going to have do. The fact that she was trying to cheer me up as a friend was strange. After just two days this girl trusted me and views me almost as a friend, even though I am just a hanyou. She is very strange.

"Hey, Inuyasha?"

"What?" I asked gruffly.

"If you go back to the past could you look for my necklace for me *yawn* until I get better and can look on my own. It was something my dad had left for me." She said as her eyes closed and a smile still on her lips. I sat on my haunches and just looked at her as she slept silently. She will share a similar fate to if anyone else finds out, but she looks so innocent. Yet there is something off, why was she hidden and why were both of her parents human? In my mind it made no sense, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Meanwhile Mrs. Higurashi was humming to herself as she was thinking about what a good couple her daughter and the strange half demon would make. 'I do so hope they will have dog ears' she thought out loud as she tidied the house of any bloody cloths from tending to her daughter's wounds.

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A/N: Well as always thank you for reading and please review! Listening to 'The Piano Man', such a good song.


	18. Chapter 18: Shadows of memories

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or the franchise.

Chapter 18: Shadows of memories

I decided to go back through the well while the wench was sleeping and recovering. There was no sense in staying someplace that made my nose burn. I honestly don't know why that wench calls that place her home, it is noisy, smells and there are almost no trees. Although, I only smelled humans, which was strange because that meant that there were no demons on the other side in that strange world of hers. If, like she said, it is the future then there should be at least some demons. Not all of them could have died out. Then again they could be like the wench and be… acting like a human and disguising their scent. That thought also unnerved me because it meant that anyone could be a demon in that world.

When I jumped from the well to land on the soft grass. I had to talk to Kaede about the jewel since the damn wench decided to break it into splinters. Then was scattered to random places and would inevitably be found by humans and demons alike. "Damn it" I cursed out loud as I made my way through the village at night. With my eyes the dark was not a problem and the demons knew that this was my territory. Anyone stupid enough to encroach on what was mine was as good as dead.

I walked to the entrance of the hut and then went inside without bothering to knock. "Old hag, I have something to talk to you about." I said as she simply looked up from her brewing pot and nodded. I padded over to sit near her in the little hut.

"Did ye manage to find Kagome?" she questioned me while keeping her eye trained on the pot simmering over the small fire.

"Yeah, but she is recovering from a fight with a corpse crow. Then she managed to shatter the jewel in an act of stupidity." I scowled at all the work that was ahead of me with fining the jewel, again, and fighting off the many demons and humans who possess its fragments. 'This is just fuckin' wonderful'.

"Aye, I knew that the strange light was an ill omen." She said in a strangely calm manner that came from living a long life.

"Keh" I scoffed at her response. "So do you know where the rest of the jewel is? I know you have spiritual powers even if you are an old bat."

"Inuyasha ye will need to learn restraint because ye and Kagome now have a long journey ahead of ye." She said as she looked at me with an unamused eye. She apparently did not appreciate my insults and attitude.

"Wha'dya mean that wench and I have a long journey ahead of us? I can find the jewel for myself. I don't need her help." I scoffed. I am definitely strong enough to find the whole jewel for myself, and I don't need little priestess wannabe's following me around.

"Inuyasha, Kagome can see the jewel. She is a valuable asset in your search for the jewel. Not only that, but other demons and humans will seek her power to aid them in their pursuit as well." She finished explaining while slightly narrowing her eye in annoyance at me.

"Keh" I responded to her. I knew that the wench was a valuable asset, but she would also cause me a lot of trouble for just being here. She had been here for two days and almost died.

"To answer your question Inuyasha, I do not know where the jewel is, I just know that there are many fragments and that they are scattered throughout the countryside." She said, finally, answering my question. I got up to leave the hut when the old hag decided to reiterate what she had just said moments ago. "No matter how prideful ye are, ye will still need Kagome's power."

I continued my way out of the hut and into the darkness of the night. I decided to rest in the branches of the sacred tree for the night. I thought back to the wench and her strange time that she resided in. That was when I thought back to what she had said to me right before I had left. She asked me to find her necklace. She had said it was a gift from her father. "Keh, stupid wench if it was that important then she shouldn't have lost it in the first place." I said to myself as I rested on a large branch high up in the tree.

This was the first time I could actually think by myself in peace since I was awakened from the spell of that arrow. The arrow that Kikyo shot and Kagome released me from. I remembered part of one of the conversations I had listened in on between the wench and the old hag had the night I was unsealed. I remember her telling the wench that she was not only a powerful priestess, but she was also the reincarnation of Kikyo. The one who betrayed me and pinned me to the tree. I still have no idea why she did, no that wasn't right. She most likely did it as a sick joke and game to be played on a lowly hanyou. After all we are the scum of the earth.

I growled as my train of thought ventured to places I wished it did not go and brought with it memories I had kept buried. Memories of when I was young and still with my mother. The way the humans of the court treated us, then the way the demons made sport of me after my mother's death. 'I never once had a place to belong, not with humans, not with demons and not with Kikyo. So why should the wench be any different?' I thought to myself.

'_Because she is like you'_

A voice in the back of my head answered my question for me. She is like me, but she looks human, acts human and lives as a human. She may have demon blood, but it doesn't show. No one would know the difference between her and another human. No, we are not the same, we are different.

I decided to put my mind at rest and sleep lightly, keeping my ears trained on the forest surrounding me. Listening for any disturbances or dangers.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the forest a being was watching the hanyou and had been since he had exited the well. He didn't care about the silver haired hanyou, no he was interested in what had happened to the raven haired woman. He hoped that the silver haired hanyou sitting on a tree branch would bring her back with him so that he could carry out his plan.

When the hanyou did no such thing all the being could do was wait. He exited away from the tree and traveled through the shadows being careful not to make a single noise. He found his way back to the clearing with the dry well to wait for the young woman. He knew that eventually the woman would come back through the well. He knew she would return because she would look for something she had lost. Then she would find him because, after all, he was the one who held her pendant. "Hehehe, come back soon princess. You and I need to have a conversation" said the being waiting in the shadows with red eyes trained on the well.

A/N: Well here you go folks, I guess this is where the story really starts to diverge from the canon. Here


	19. Chapter 19: Glomp

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 19: Glomp

It had been seven days since the corpse crow had attacked the wench. And she STILL wasn't back yet. I didn't like that time of hers and I didn't want to go back. Yet it had been 7 DAYS. She still wasn't back, what the hell was taking her so long? I wondered to myself fuming. I really didn't want to go back to her time, but I wanted to get the jewel even more. So I raced to the well and jumped in and be transported into the future.

I slammed the well house's doors open and stomped my way under the window to her room. "Oi! Wench!" I yelled, but I received no answer. So I decided to jump up and enter her room through her window. To my luck the window was open, but the wench was absent. I sniffed her room to catch her scent. It was slightly stale indicating that she was recently here, but there was another scent a distinctly male scent.

Kagome's POV: 3 hrs. Prior to Inu breaking and entering

I woke up later than I usually did, about 9:30, and went to the bathroom to start the day. I knew that my mom was out of the house because it was a Saturday and she was doing errands. I was feeling much better than I was seven days ago, for obvious reasons, and decided that I would take a run to loosen myself up and maybe even stop by the dojo for a light workout. After all the wounds had healed leaving only light scars that would eventually disappear and I had no more broken bones.

I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and brush my hair, then I returned to my room to change out of my light pink pajamas. I chose to where black running pants that were tight against my skin and a green tank top with a black sports bra underneath. I just managed to slip into the tank top when I was glomped from behind by someone much heavier than me with dark skin. We ended up falling over and onto my bed. The next thing I knew there were smooth lips covering my own in a very friendly kiss. I opened my eyes only to be met by hazel eyes and short black hair. He looked down at me and smirked like a cat who managed to capture its prey. "How ya doing Kagome?"

The only person on the planet who made me want to kill him the moment I met him. My first, stolen I might add, kiss. The person who believed he would be able to make a harem with myself and Aya in it as well as any other girl he could get his hands on. The person who convinced my friends and me to go skinny dipping, we only did it twice, as kids. This person was straddling my hips with his goddamn smirk on his face, it was no wonder I didn't like Inuyasha's smirk, and the person who was shortly going to die. "Tora" I growled, quite impressively I might add, "What the Fuck are you doing?!"

Him seeing me like this many, many times before was unaffected by my reaction, "You know you are never going to get a boyfriend with that mouth. By the way are you still a virgin? You know I can fix that for you." He said while his smirk grew and my face was shaded red. Both from anger and embarrassment.

"If you don't get off of me NOW I will CASTRATE YOU!" I yelled at and that seemed to do the trick because he jumped off of me and went clear to the other side of the room holding his family jewels. It wasn't a meaningless threat, he knew that if he didn't do as I said I would follow through with it.

"Don't even joke like that!" he yelled, "I need them! How am I supposed to spread my genes if I don't!" he pleaded with me.

"The world would be a better place if you didn't, it is enough that you are here to corrupt the youth of the world" I said in a serious voice. Then it dawned on me, he was supposed to be in India. Not Japan. "Okay, why did you get kicked out of your family's home?" I asked him, knowing full well that he was kicked out and didn't just leave. He was one of the heirs to his family after all.

"Hey! Who said I was kicked out? I could have just left!" he countered.

"What did you do Tora?" I asked.

He huffed and began his recounting of his, short, ventures in India, "Well I was hitting on tourists, I hit on my distant cousin, then her friend, then her friend's boyfriend's sister, then her cousin, who was married I didn't know I swear, then this really hot tour guide one time, then I was caught kissing a tourist, found another tourist and we…"

"OKAY! I get the picture! Geez you are such a man-whore!" I yelled, leave it to Tora to hit on every woman he meets.

"I am not. I didn't have sex with any of them. No, that I am saving for Aya, unless you want to be the exception?" he asked and waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"It still amazes me how perverted you are and yet you claim to be a virgin." That was the only response I would give him.

"So, you wanna go train?" he asked me with a, surprisingly, sincere friendly smile.

I smiled back and decided that training with a friend would be better than training, but we would have to leave before my mom came back or I would NEVER get out of this house. "Sure" I said and we left a few minutes later to go to his family's dojo. After all I met Tora by kicking his ass.

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A/N: And here is one of my OC's officially introduced.

I hope you enjoyed and please review! :)


	20. Chapter 20: Misunderstanding

Chapter 20: Misunderstanding

After we left my house we went to eat breakfast real quick and visit a little talking about old times and me specifically avoiding the subject of India. We laughed about the things we did and smiled about memories if the five of us getting into trouble, again and again and again. It is a miracle that we weren't incarcerated for some of the pranks and vigilante work we did. Then again we had the ever reliant Kara on our side. She could scare a rabid polar bear enough to have it make a sane decision and run in the opposite direction. She was sweet, caring and extremely scary when the time called for it. With Tora, that time was often.

After we were finished talking about the past and eating breakfast we walked to the dojo and changed into practice uniforms. And entered one of the training rooms in the dojo. This was where I met Aya and Tora for the first time. Kara and I started to go to this dojo since I was 13 and ever since I beat Tora we had been friends. After that day the four of us were inseparable, then we met Jak in school a year later, well actually Kara beat up bullies for Jak and Jak fell in love at first sight with Tora. Needless to say that was the day I also had my first kiss stolen from Tora. Who had his lips taken by Jak, just moments before. Then Aya kicked Tora's butt. It was a quite comical and violent day. Actually my friends are very violent, in the good way.

"Gome! Aeh, the merchandise is over here and not in the clouds. Pay attention because there is no way you are beating me today." He said with a grin on his face as if he had already won the fight.

"Pff, I see no one worth spending money on in here besides myself" I said in a mock insult.

"Ouch, that one burned, but seriously pay attention. This time we are going to have a 'match', mixed martial arts, but no boxing or kick boxing." He said suddenly serious.

"What! But I love kick boxing! It is one of the ones I am really good at." I whined to my opponent.

"Exactly." He said with a victorious grin.

"Cheater." I simply muttered under my breath.

"Alright let's begin!" he said cheerily as he ran towards me and started the 'match'.

Inuyasha's POV:

I followed her scent through the large village, which was hard because there were so many scents to sift through. 'I hate it here, the only good thing is Ramen.' I thought to myself as I sniffed my way around gaining many weird looks and snickers from the people around me. Though through all of the scents I had sifted through so far, none of them were demon. That realization bothered me again especially if this was the future.

Though that thought was pushed to the back of my head because I had to find the wench and then find the rest of the damned jewel. She had better have that piece with her because I practically tore her room apart searching for it. And it wasn't there.

Somewhere in the back of my mind my conscious was saying that I was going to get osuwari'd many times for the state her room was in now. After I looked everywhere in that room, but was still unable to find any jewel shard. Though I did find some things made out of a silk material, but they were flimsy and I wasn't sure how they were worn. I then sniffed any other rooms that freshly held her scent, but found none. So I decided to follow her scent, but the scent of that guy bugged me and I didn't know why.

At the Dojo:

Tora and Kagome were still sparring and neither would allow themselves to relent to the other. Though both were tired, they continued to trade punches and kicks all the while they blocked the opponent's advances. It was almost like a dance. A kick to the chest, a block to protect, the flipping of the kicker, then the swipe of the foot across the ground to imbalance the flipper. It was a constant up and down battle with each blow traded equally for its counter-part. Neither were able to get in hold in order to bring the match to a close. Each opponent using a variation of martial arts; aikido, Karate, Judo, etc.

The dance of palms, legs and feet continued until Kagome lost her footing. She had stepped on the low leg of her white uniform and hurled to the ground limbs flailing. While Tora took this moment to pounce on her like a tiger does its prey. He pinned her arms and legs beneath his own legs and hands. He grinned at the young woman beneath him. "I win!" he said cheerily.

Kagome just glared at him, not liking her position and unable to flip them over, "Tora, you didn't win, my uniform did."

"Nope. I win, I pinned you so I win!" he said with a cat like smirk on his face. "Now what's my prize?" he asked in a perverted manner.

"Move your legs and I'll give it to you." Kagome ground out.

"Mmmm, nope. I think I should torture you a little!" he gleamed at her with his annoying smirk.

"What do you mean tor…" she never finished that sentence when his hands were everywhere at once. Tickling her. She couldn't stop herself from laughing and gasping for air as his hands glided up and down her body. She started thrashing about underneath him grabbing for clothing and trying to punch him away. All the while gasping for breath as laughter was forced from her lungs.

This was how Inuyasha found them as he walked into the training room. Both of them flushed, clothes disheveled, actually somehow Tora's pants were resting at his knees, and Kagome beneath Tora. While Tora was straddling her legs with his hands on her hips. This did not look good in the hanyou's eyes at all. Actually it wasn't even decent, nor were the thoughts running through his head. This situation couldn't get any worse.

"Hey, go back I'm not done here." Tora shouted at Inuyasha. Then again even the most disastrous situations could be made worse by an idiot.

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!


	21. Chapter 21: Torao

Disclaimer: not mine. Though Torao is.

Chapter 21: Torao

…

…

…

That was all I could think of, nothing, that would explain why a male was on top of the wench that I needed in order to find the jewel. There was the wench flushed and disheveled with her top opening to reveal a green cloth underneath. Her pants were lower than they should be on her hips and the male's pants were down close to his knees. He had his hands on her hips as he hovered over her. In my mind it was clear what they were doing, or were about to do. Without me realizing it a growl made its way up my throat, the male was not going to live if he provoked me at this point.

To be honest I have no idea why I had growled at the male and I even bared my fangs at him in warning. When he saw me he narrowed his eyes and smirked showing off his own dull teeth as I saw his hands tighten on the wench's waist. "Hey, go back I am not done here." He yelled at me in a deep masculine voice. I felt my lip curl up even more to expose my fangs another fraction of a centimeter. Then before I had time to react I was acquainted rather intimately with the floor of the dojo as an Osuwari echoed in the mostly empty room. 'I hate this necklace. I hate this time. And I LOATH that girl!' I thought as I mumble obscenities in to the flooring.

Kagome's POV:

I saw Inuyasha just standing there looking like he was about to kill Tora. In all honesty I just wanted the arrogant playboy off me and myself out of the embarrassing position that I now realized I was in. I was busy trying to find a way out of this and was about to push Tora off when his hands on my hips tightened a fraction. Then Tora opened his mouth. What he said next made my face unnaturally red and it wasn't all embarrassment. No at this point and with that comment it was mostly anger.

I saw Inuyasha bare his fangs even more and I realized that his dog ears were in plain sight and twitching on the top of his head. I am not sure how this became a reflex but it did, "OSUWARI" I yelled and the hanyou plummeted to the ground. Muttering curses as he made contact with the floor. Tora then looked at me quizzically then his eyes seemed to widen out of fear.

I was pissed. I was unhappy about being in an unfortunate situation. Angry at the fact that Inuyasha gave every indication that we were doing something indecent. I was out raged to find out how bad the situation looked, what with Tora's pants on the ground and Inuyasha's ears in plain sight. Then I was pissed. I was pissed at Tora for saying something so utterly inconceivable. Inconceivable and entirely misunderstood. I was going to make him relive the moment we met. Painfully.

Inuyasha's POV:

I managed to raise my head up as I saw the wench rear her hand back and punch the guy in the face for all she was worth. Then the guy that was on top of fell to the ground next her as she decided she would stand. I never thought I would be happy to have this damn rosary around my neck, but now was one of those times. I am glad I am not him. I was entirely glad that she had managed to punch the guy hard enough to knock him off of her.

The male scrambled on the ground away from her as she stalked towards him with a killing aura. I could practically see the anger she exuded and I definitely could smell it. Her once sweet scent was turned into a spicy concoction as she continued to stalk her prey like a predator. She then grabbed him by his hair and hauled him to his feet so that he was standing in front of her.

"Kagome… calm down. You know I didn't mea…" the male started but was cut off by the wench.

Her voice practically oozed venom and promises of death, "_You have five seconds to give me one good damn reason as to what the Fuck possessed you to say that and explain why your pants were on the ground."_

"Well you see…" he started.

"_One." _she hissed at him.

"I thought at the time it was…" he trailed off, it obviously wasn't going to be a good answer.

_"__Two" _she said getting closer to the male.

"Hey the pants were entirely your fault." He said trying to sound patronizing. Actually this was rather entertaining to watch now that I knew they wouldn't do anything indecent.

"_Three"_ the wench growled, obviously not liking that answer.

"Hey it was. I wasn't in control of your legs while I was tickling you!" he whined back at her. Well that would explain what they were doing. It obviously wasn't what I was thinking.

"_Four" _this time she sounded a little less threatening and her scent had calmed some. It was starting to return back to the addictingly sweet aroma that was her natural scent.

"Oh, come cut me some slack, it was the perfect opportunity to say it and you made it too easy." He said to her. I watched her face twitch and her eyebrows knit slightly. Her scent started to get that spicy smell back. What he said was not the right answer. I saw her step right up to the guy and take a deep breath before she pulled his legs right out from under him. I wasn't expecting her to do that.

Kagome's POV:

When it comes to training I have no problem beating Tora, but I will only hit him if he deserves it. I took a deep calming breath and decided that this time he didn't deserve it. Not to mention that I was tired from the work out and trying to defend my ticklish spots from my perverted friend. To be honest I rarely ever hit Tora, sure I would knock him on his ass, but I rarely ever hit him or anybody else for that matter. No I left that up to Aya. No matter how sweet and completely in love with Tora she was she was easily goaded into hitting him. Often times by Tora himself. They were such a cute couple, in a weird demented way.

I decided to just knock Tora to the floor then talk to the perverted twenty year old, who was one of my best friends. I sighed as I kneeled down next to my friend on the floor, "You are lucky we are such good friends" I said with a smile on my face. I stood back up when he just smirked his sly smirk and offered him my hand, which he gladly accepted.

"Alright, so besides the fact that I am a lucky cat, who's the random cosplayer who looked ready to kill me a moment ago? Birthday present or boyfriend? Maybe both?" he questioned me while wiggling his eyebrows. I was fighting with myself not to floor him this time as I held a slight blush on my face.

"Tora, he is someone, a friend, I met two days ago. It is not so weird he is just a cosplayer and my friend. After all I am friends with you, aren't I?" I questioned him with a teasing grin on my face.

"Fine. What is his name then?" he asked me.

"His name is Inuyasha, why you interested?" I whispered the last part to him. He just deadpanned. "Didn't think so. Now could you ask him to wait outside while I take a quick shower?" I asked my slightly irritated friend.

"Fine." He said, but decided, being Tora, to comment on me taking a shower, "Although I could join you." He said with a leering smile and raised eyebrows. I decided to just not answer as I heard him lightly chuckling behind me as I made my way to the showers.

Tora's POV:

I watched Kags as she sauntered to the shower room. If I didn't want Aya so bad then I definitely would have gone for Kagome. She is smokin', but those thoughts often led me to situations like the one before. I sighed and approached the stranger now leaning against a wall of my family's dojo. He was strange. He had on bright red clothing, like the ones that would be worn in the feudal era and golden eyes, not to mention the large mane of unruly silver hair. Everything in me was telling me that he wasn't normal, that he wasn't human. "Kagome said that she would be a little bit and to have you wait outside." I informed him and all he did was huff and exit the building.

I waited in the room where Kagome and I had sparred together cleaning, or pretending to, until both her and her companion had left and were far away. Then I picked up my cell phone that was lying in a corner of the room and dialed a familiar number. I waited for the other line to pick up and was met with a greeting by a female voice, "Hello? Torao why are you calling? Unless you have news on our target?"

"Yeah I do. She came back, though she didn't have one of the seals with her. Her mother gave her the dagger and I know for a fact that she was injured not too long ago." I said as I took off a bracelet from my left wrist.

"You sparred with her didn't you." The voice on the other line said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yeah, but after we had sparred a male came into the dojo." I said in a calm voice as I walked to the shower room.

"What do you mean a 'male', don't you mean a guy?" she asked somewhat confused.

"No, a male. A male Inu hanyou to be exact. He stank of dog, it almost made me sick. I never knew Kagome liked canines." I almost snarled.

"Calm yourself Torao, I don't care that you don't like dogs. Are you sure that it was an Inu hanyou?" she questioned.

"Yeah, and he was wearing red traditional feudal era clothing too." I reported.

"Thanks for letting me know. As soon as my business is done here I will meet you in Japan. Make sure to report this to headquarters. They will find this news… interesting" she said into the phone as an audible smile crossed her lips. Then the line went dead as she hung up.

I had reached the shower room and looked into the mirror at my reflection. What stared back at me was a bright golden eyed being with dark skin and pitch black hair. My face was lined with black stripes and my body was covered in faint spots while my cat-like tail twitched behind me. I grinned back at my pointy eared reflection revealing fangs of my own. 'Things are going to get very interesting' I thought as I got undressed to take a long and hot shower and would call headquarters afterward.


	22. Chapter 22: Shopping!

Disclaimer: Not mine and never was, though the OC's are.

* * *

Chapter 22: Shopping!

The wench finally made it out of that building after she was done bathing. I heard her ask the human that was with her to lead me out and wait. Not like I needed anyone to tell me where to go, I know how to use a door. I didn't like that guy who was there, for some odd reason he seemed weird, almost out of place. I didn't like him.

"Inuyasha, what's with the sour look on your face?" the wench asked me.

"Keh, nothin' you need to know about wench and why do I have to wear this thing?" I said to her while pointing to the cloth covering my ears.

"My name is Kagome. Jeez how many times do I have to tell you? And you have to wear that over your ears because no human has dog ears." She scolded, not that I care.

"Well if you didn't notice, I am not human. And neither are you" I told her while she decided to scowl at me.

"Listen dog boy, this world is filled with humans and if you don't want to become a science experiment then I suggest you keep your adorable ears hidden." She reiterated as we continued walking down the crowded street.

"What's a science experiment?" I asked curiously.

"It is where if people knew you were very different then they would take you to a facility to run tests, poke needles, take samples and dissect you to see what makes you so different." She said in a scarily flat tone of voice.

"What?" I asked horrified. How could they do something like that to another human, or demon?

"I'm not kidding, so either keep your ears hidden in public or lose them." She said while not looking in my direction.

I did not want to lose my ears, not to mention that they are very sensitive. "Keh. So wench, where are we going anyway?" I asked her, knowing that the well was in the opposite direction. I took a moment to see what she was wearing. Her hair was in a ponytail high on her head bound in a green ribbon. She had on a matching green top, like the one I first saw her in, with some black material peeking out of the corners. Her shoulders were covered by a jacket made of a dark blue material, while her pants were black and hugged every curve. They outlined how well toned her legs were all the way from her calf muscles to her thighs to her perfect round hips…

"We are going shopping." She said like a person with a mission. I didn't know what shopping was, but I didn't like the sound of it.

"Why?" I asked, sounding not enthused.

"Because I need cheap and durable clothes for the other side of the well and you will need clothes to blend in here, in case you decide to go looking for me again."

"Who said that we would come back." I said it as more of a statement rather than a question.

She just stopped and looked at me with determination in her eyes, "I will come back, whether you decide to follow is your problem, but this is my era. I belong here and when this whole thing is over this is where I will return to. This is where I belong and there is nothing you can do to prevent it."

For some unknown reason, that statement hurt. She was saying that there was nothing I could do to keep her from this world, 'Well we'll see about that.' I thought to myself as I watched her enter this strange shop, or at least I thought it was a shop.

Kagome's POV:

I walked into the thrift shop intent on buying some clothes to wear for the feudal era and something to put Inuyasha in so he wasn't so embarrassing to walk with. His clothes didn't bother me, but the stares that people gave us did. Some of them were even unsettling.

I grabbed a cart and walked down the aisles looking for baggy jeans and cargo pants, shorts and t-shirts and tank tops and jackets. I momentarily thought back to the priestess clothes that Kaede had leant me, 'I hope she doesn't want them back.' For myself I had managed to find some shirts that looked slightly durable and covered enough so that they weren't unsightly. A jean vest, red off the shoulder top, green and pink t-shirts and a few blue tank tops. I found a pair of army green cargo shorts, a tan mid-thigh skirt, and dark blue Levi jeans. After I found a pair of comfortable sandals I would be able to run in I decided that my wardrobe was finished for the feudal era. I looked behind me to find an annoyed hanyou glaring at me.

"Are we done yet?" he asked impatiently.

I slyly smiled at him in a way that said 'now here comes the fun part', "Nope, now we have to get you your clothes."

"What?" he asked me with narrowed eyes. He looked as if he was about to drag me out of this store and down the well by force, if he didn't have the rosary around his neck. But he did, he had that wonderful rosary around his neck.

'I wish I had one for Tora, he needs one more than Inuyasha does' I thought absently while I just continued to lead the way to the men's section. "Okay, find something you like." I said to him.

"Keh, I am fine with the clothes I have now." He scoffed while turning his head the other way in defiance.

"Either you pick or I do" I said as an ultimatum. He turned his head and scowled in my direction. "I will make everything pink and yellow if you don't decide on at least one outfit."

"I told you wench, I don't need new clothes. All I need are these" he said pulling at the front of his haori (is this right?).

"Not for the feudal era, but for here in case you walk around in public. Look you stick out like a sore thumb already with your hair color, but the traditional clothing makes you stick out more so. Think of this as camouflage if you want to, but if you ever want to come through the well again I would suggest you pick something." I said in a slightly exasperated voice. I disliked shopping even if I was a girl. We had only been in this store for about 45 minutes and he was already complaining and acting like a child.

"Fine." He said to me as he reached for a red t-shirt and baggy grey cargo pants. "Happy?" he scowled.

"Yes, thank you. Now for shoes." I said leading to the shoe section.

"I don't wear shoes. Never have."

"Humor me then. Let me see your feet" I asked him as he just stood looking not amused. I rolled my eyes as I realized he had no intention of showing me his feet. I looked at his relatively large clawed feet and found a pair of sandals that looked like they would fit. "At least try these."

"Keh" was the only sound he made as he grabbed the sandals from my hands and bent down to place them on his feet. Actually he put one of the sandals on one of his feet then took it off. "Wench I don't like shoes. No matter what form they are." He told me as he shoved the sandals back into my grasp. They looked like they would fit so I added them to the growing pile of clothes. I picked out two bandanas, red and black, with which I finished our shopping spree and paid the cashier.

"Ya finally done we…"

"Say 'wench' one more time and you are going to find yourself in a hole" I stopped him as we exited the shop and headed back to the shrine. He just glared at me, it was becoming a regular occurrence, but it was just an annoyed glare not one of anger or disgust. Hopefully we could eventually become friends, lord knows I always get along the weird ones the best and Inuyasha was weird. I smiled slightly at the thought of gaining another good friend to keep me company, if only 500 years in the past.


	23. Chapter 23: Warzone

Disclaimer: don't own Inuyasha and company. :(

Chapter 23: Warzone

The rest of the way back to the shrine we barely talked, no we just didn't talk at all. That was until my thoughts went back to around a week ago, "Hey, did you happen to find my pendant?" I asked. I had gone to grab it, but it wasn't at my throat, just as it had not been all week. I felt naked without it. I felt exposed and uneasy, I had that pendant for years and I never lost it or took it off. The only time I would take it off was during swim competitions, every other time I would wear a choker or fasten it to my practice suit. It was special to me, not just because my father had left it for me, but because it was… almost like a part of me. I looked at the half demon beside me who had yet to answer my question.

"Keh, why should I. It's your pendant." He said without looking at me.

"One, I was injured. Two, it is important to me. Three, if I don't find that pendant, then I refuse to find any jewel fragments." I said in annoyance. I needed to get that pendant back, if I didn't, I felt like something bad will happen. Though it isn't like it hasn't already. What with being attacked, three times, breaking the jewel, almost bleeding to death, finding out I am not entirely human and somehow being beaten by Tora. I was pretty sure that 'bad' had already happened numerous times. On the bright side I was still alive… for how long it was going to stay that way I wasn't sure though.

"Keh. So where is the jewel fragment anyway?" he asked with an expectant look on his face. I fished through the pockets on my jacket and found what I was looking for and held up a small pink shard of the Shikon Jewel. The hanyou next to me just grunted in response.

"You do know that I meant what I said. As soon as I get back to the feudal era I am going to look for my pendant and I will not help you with the jewel until I find it" I stated. This I was not backing down on. I am going to find my pedant. It didn't matter to me whether he helped or not, but it would be appreciated.

He simply glowered at me as we reached the shrine steps and began our ascent. As we were nearing the top of the steps I noticed that Inuyasha's brows were furrowed in annoyance and concentration. It really didn't suit him. "What are you thinking about now?" I sighed as we reached the top of the steps.

"Who was that guy? And what were you doing there anyway?" he asked, not entirely comfortable with his questions.

"'That guy' was Tora. He is one of my best friends, though he is a pervert first and foremost. He is annoying, but he is reliable and a good listener. As for what we were doing, we were training before I tripped on my pant leg." I said, but I couldn't resist the question that came from my mouth next, "Why, are you jealous?"

His face tinted pink just the slightest amount as he turned and growled at me, "Why in hells would I be jealous, Wench?"

"You obviously can't take a joke." I said to him, "Oh, and for the umpteenth time, my name is Kagome, Ka- go-me."

"Keh, whatever" he scoffed as we entered my house. The smell of rice and other things cooking let me know that my mom was home making lunch. My mom was home…

'SHIT! My mom is home! And I wasn't here when she got back! Oh, I am in trouble, so much trouble.' I thought frantically as I went to greet my mother in the kitchen. "Hey, mom I'm home!" I said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Kagome. Where were you? You were not here like I thought you were. Even worse when I went to get you from your room, which is where I assumed you were, it looked like a bomb had gone off and you weren't there. If it wasn't for the fact that I called the dojo and asked where you were did I know you were safe." She reprimanded me, it was my fault after all that I hadn't let her know where I was going.

"I'm sorry mom" I said while looking at the floor, "I was just going to go for a run when Tora came and paid a visit. Then we decided to go and train for old times. After that Inuyasha showed up and I took him to get clothes for here and for me to get clothes for the other side of the well." I told her, while looking like a guilty child.

"I know. Tora told me. Yet that doesn't hide the fact that you disobeyed what I told you. Not only that, but if you weren't already healed then you could have hurt yourself more severely" she said, less angry and more worried than before, "I love you, you are my daughter no matter what happens. I just want you to be safe and happy. That is all any mother wants for their child." She said as she raised my head and gave me a kiss on the forehead. It reminded me of when I was younger when I would get into real trouble with our gang of five.

Inuyasha's POV:

When we walked into the 'house', as the wench called it, I could smell food cooking as well as the scent of anger and worry, but mostly anger. It was from her mother. Though that wasn't the only scent that was now swirling around me, there was also the scent of fear coming from the wench standing next to me. I knew that she was in trouble with her mother. That much was obvious.

I decided to wait for her to be done scolding her daughter. I was leaning against a wall silently listening to their conversation when her mother mentioned the wench's room. 'Crap, I am going to get sat so hard for that' I thought as I tried not to look like I was listening. Thankfully she didn't really catch on to what her mother said about her room and continued talking about what she had done while she had left the 'house'.

"I know. Tora told me. Yet that doesn't hide the fact that you disobeyed what I told you. Not only that, but if you weren't already healed then you could have hurt yourself more severely" she said to the wench. She seemed less angry and more worried than before, "I love you, you are my daughter no matter what happens. I just want you to be safe and happy. That is all any mother wants for their child." Her words almost made me smile, she was like my mom. That was all she had wanted for me, but hanyou never have a happy ending. It's how it always was and always will be.

"Hey mom? What do you mean that my room is a mess, it was clean when I left?" she asked, this time I did flinch. That action caused her to turn and look at me. "You wouldn't have anything to with it would you, Inuyasha?" the wench said in a sweet voice, but I could smell the anger slowly radiating off of her.

I simply looked away from her and kehhed before she narrowed her eyes and rushed past me to the stairs. My only option to get away from the rosary was through the well. It was a safe zone, not only that but I wanted to get away from the smells of this era; they still had my nose burning, though not as much as the first time I came through the well. Luckily I made it and was jumping in the well…

"OSUWARI!"

'That damn wench!' was my last thought as I was forcefully pulled to the bottom of the well, through time only to crash to the bottom of the well on my side. 'I hate her!'

Kagome's POV:

I ran up to my room and swung the door open only to come face to face with a warzone. My room was a disaster. Unrecognizable, destroyed, FUBARed, demolished and any other word that described the devastating condition that I found my room in. Then I caught a flash of red and silver through my window heading to the well. "Oh, there is no WAY you are getting off for this" I said under my breath as I watched him open the well doors and jump in, but not before I yelled "OSUWARI". Sadly I did not hear the satisfying sound of a certain half demon slamming face first into pavement, but I was sure that he had one hell of a welcoming on the other side of the well.

Somewhat satisfied I turned back to my room and took in the damage. Feathers were everywhere, as was fluff from my comforter. All of my clothes were scattered across the floor and all of my drawers were either not in my dressers or desk, or they were barely on their rollers and hung at odd angles. Everything was scattered on my floor and on my bed. 'He must have been looking for something, probably the jewel shard' I thought as I decided to clean my room the best I could and prepare myself to go back to the feudal era. 'I have a feeling that this is going to be a long journey. I just hope we don't kill each other before we complete it.' I absently thought to myself.

After around four hours of cleaning and reorganizing everything my room was, relatively, back to normal. I decided to eat dinner with my family and fill them in on what would be happening. Souta thought that it was awesome that I knew a real demon, Grandpa gave me some useless sutras and mom handed me a bag of ramen and my bag of new clothes. Ironically everyone took me leaving and going on a life threatening quest quite well.

I managed to pack my old yellow backpack full of the clothes and ramen, while placing my dagger at the top of the stack in my backpack. I also managed to find a small glass bottle to hold the fragment of the jewel. I fashioned it into a necklace with a thin strip of leather and let it hang around my neck. I did one final check before I said goodbye to my family and headed to the well. All I was thinking as I hopped into the darkness of the well was, 'Why do I have to go back?' yet I still did. I wish I didn't because when I climbed out of the well I was met with a dark cloudy sky and standing not four feet in front of the well was a being with red eyes.


	24. Chapter 24: Water Logged

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha. Nope still not mine.

Chapter 24: Water Logged

I managed to haul myself out of the well only to be met with the darkness of night. The low hanging clouds promising a storm for the night. Yet that didn't worry me at the moment. No what had me worried were the bright red eyes staring at me not even four feet from the where I stood beside the well. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and a shiver run down my spine. I wanted to run, I wanted to scream, but I was frozen to my spot beside the well. The well if I could just jump over the edge again then I would be sa…

"Don't even think of jumping back through the portal" a sinister voice said, the voice that belonged to the demon with the red eyes. I stared at it in fear and surprise. "Yes, I know of the well. Now drop your belongings and follow me. If you do one thing out of line I will not hesitate to take your head from your shoulders before you have a chance to scream." He said as glistening white fangs glinted in the minimal light of the night. Distantly I could hear thunder rolling as the storm grew near and the air charged itself with electricity. I dropped my bag from my shoulders, unable to retrieve the dagger from my pack. I was without weapon and against a much faster and more powerful opponent, I could feel it in the way my skin crawled. This thing was evil, it was made from the shadows and lived within them. The air around it twisted and moved as if blown by the wind in a dark and sinister manner.

Every muscle in my body screamed at me to run and get away, but I knew that if I didn't do as this thing said then I would die, but I would be constantly looking for an escape. "I know you want to be nowhere near me, but I have something that belongs to you and I have waited seven nights to return it to you. Though since I waited that long, maybe you did not wish it returned?" it ended its speech with a question as light gleamed off of a small strange crystal held from a thin black leather strip. In its grasp it held my pendant. The very same pendant that I had lost before I had passed back through the well. The pendant that Inuyasha had failed to search for, thereby allowing it into the hands of this demon. I quickly scanned the trees straining my eyes for a flash of red, hoping that I would be saved from this dangerous youkai. Yet I only saw the distant lightning and rustling of leaves from the growing wind. I was alone.

"Well if you will accompany me I would like to talk to you, my dear. Then we can make a deal. Now come." It said as it held a pale, clawed masculine hand out for me to grab. The blazing red eyes stared at me with a predatory gaze that held impatience. I had no choice. I had to grasp the pale and dead looking hand that was offered or I would end up dead nest to the well. I could see it in his red unblinking eyes. His eyes were almost daring me to disobey just so he could have the satisfaction of seeing the lush green grass dyed with my blood. So I did the only thing I could at the moment. I grabbed his hand.

When I did the wind changed and space warped. I was then surrounded by darkness and cold. I wanted to scream, but was unable to take a breath of air, for there was none. All I could do was hold onto the cold pale hand so I was not lost in oblivion. When the air returned and some light entered the darkness I felt wetness around me and flowing past me. My eyes adjusted and I realized we were in a shallow river, a far distance from the village. I felt the rain start at just a few drops hitting here and there, but it would soon become a down pour. I looked up and saw his gleaming fangs in his smile and the bright red eyes. "You are surprisingly quiet and I didn't lose you as we passed through the shadows. You truly are not human, my dear" he said as his voice grew more malicious with each word spoken.

"What do you know about me?" I asked as I stood in the shallow river. My body becoming colder from the wetness and cooling air around me.

"I know what you are. I know who you are. Yet more importantly I know where you come from. Your demon heritage is as clear as your powers. The eerie blue light only belongs to one group of demons in existence. Though they were thought to have been completely wiped out five hundred years ago" he said while circling me and his fangs still glistening in the limited light. "Yet, there must have been a hanyou who survived, otherwise you never would have come into existence. You are the last to hold blood of that race, a quarter demon. Something even less than hanyou. A disgrace who has their powers bound and is useless until they are unbound." He snarled and pulled my hair back with a jolt. I let a small shriek escape my lips as my hair was painfully tugged back.

I could feel the immense fear of being near this demon. I could feel the disgust, anger and blood lust rolling off of him in waves. He brought a cold clawed hand down and caressed my neck, "I will gladly help you break every one of the seals upon you. Then we can have some fun" he leered. Then I just barely managed to take a breath before he slammed my head forward and into the now deepening river.

Inuyasha's POV:

I was sitting up in the tree, the Sacred Tree to be exact. I could smell the storm fast approaching from the distance as well as feel the electricity in the air. 'That damn wench. When she gets here, which if she isn't here shortly, I will go back and drag her here. Kicking and screaming if I have to' I thought to myself as I waited in the branches, listing for any sign that she had arrived and was walking through the forest. I had been waiting for the past FOUR hours for the damn woman. 'She is probably taking her sweet time just to piss me off. I swear I am going to kill her if she doesn't ge…' I didn't finish that thought as I briefly caught her scent, but it was clouded in fear and there was another demons scent mixed in. She was in danger I wasn't there. Just like the other two times. "Damn it" I cursed as I jumped from my perch and ran to the well.

When I arrived at the well they were nowhere to be seen and the scent of the wench and the youkai had just stopped close to the well. I noticed a large ugly yellow sac sitting next to the well. I opened the top and there sat the dagger she had been gifted from her mother seven days ago. She was in danger and unarmed, to my knowledge.

Then far in the distance I heard a faint female shriek. It was far away, but I would only take five minutes to make it where she was. I heard thunder boom and the rain start to fall around me, hindering my sense of smell and hearing. If it got too bad I may not be able to find her fast enough. I didn't like that possibility. Cursing under my breath as the rain fell harder against my skin, I ran in the direction I heard the shriek.

Kagome's POV:

In the horror movies when the person is being drowned and you watch as they claw helplessly at their attacker while trying to keep air in their lungs. The pain and desperate look on their face. That is what I looked like, trying in vain to get my head above the water rushing by me. To take in the all-important oxygen that I need to live. Though the movies never prepare you for the fear and terror that grips your entire being as your useless struggles only excite the one holding you under the water. Yet struggling uses up energy and much needed oxygen. It is only a matter of time before you gasp for breath, but your lungs are filled with water. It is a horrifying experience.

The demon holding me under water pulled my head back for air sharply. I swore he had pulled my hair out of my scalp. I looked up at him with teary eyes. I was terrified at what he was going to do next. I was unable to scream as I gulped in air to sustain myself and fight for my life. "Now," he said holding up the barely recognizable pendant to my face. "You will break the seal, or you will die." That was all the warning I had before my head was forced from the rain pelting it to the cold water of the river. The demon dug its claws into my back as I struggled more against his hold. I needed to break free, or someone to help me out of this situation. I needed Inuyasha, he was the only one I knew that wouldn't kill me after he was done with the demon. Yet he wouldn't come. He didn't know I was here. So I continued to struggle.

My lungs burned and my muscles screamed for fresh oxygenated blood. My adrenaline was running low as my hits and punches slowly lost what little power they had against the demon. My lungs strained for oxygen I could not reach. I couldn't hold my breath anymore. It had been more than a minute and I had to have oxygen. I gasped for air, but what filled my lungs was water. I was drowning as it filled my lungs full. I continued to struggle and try to force the water from my lungs, but only gained more water filling my lungs in its place. I slowly lost the will to fight, I had no strength. I saw darkness creeping in on my vision until everything was black. I saw nothing. I felt nothing. I had stopped breathing.

"Damn. She really couldn't break the seal with her own power. Too bad to, her blood would have been delicious with all of that power flowing through it." The sinister youkai said as he drug the limp and lifeless form of Kagome from the water and threw her recklessly onto the bank. He looked at the crystal pendant he still held in his hand, a small crack marring its surface. "Still, even with the seals still in place she will be a fine dinner. Not only that, but I now have a piece of the jewel" he grinned malevolently at the dead body of the girl on the bank. He then noticed another presence near him. He looked to a place that was near the now dead body of the girl. There standing near her was an inu hanyou growling and looking like he was ready to kill something, or someone.

"Puppy, I have no time for you. Move along so I can enjoy my meal." The youkai with the glowing red eyes sneered at the hanyou.

"What did you do to Kagome" he growled and stalked to the youkai while flexing his claws.

"I killed her" he said with a vicious smile spreading across his face, while baring his fangs.

A/N: yes that did just happen. No jokes and no tricks, just be glad that there is another many chapters.


	25. Chapter 25: Kagome

Disclaimer: Not mine, never was.

Chapter 25: Kagome

I heard nothing after the shriek except for the pounding of the rain and the rolling of thunder. I didn't know if she was dead or alive, but I had to find her. I needed her, to find the jewel. She was annoying and was angered easily, but she was useful and didn't deserve to die. And hell would freeze over before I allowed her to do so when I could have done something to stop it. So I ran in the direction I had heard the shriek, hoping that she was there.

I ran through the forest and saw that the trees were getting thinner. I heard the rushing of water from a river beneath the pelting rain. My clothes were heavy and my hair was plastered to my face and back. I cleared the trees but a few moments later and came face to face with a red eyed youkai that looked to be one with the shadows. The air around it warped and twisted. I looked to the ground near me, not ten feet away, was Kagome lying on the bank of the river. She wasn't moving.

I returned my gaze to the youkai in the river as his eyes met mine and he sneered, "Puppy, I have no time for you. Move along so I can enjoy my meal."

My gaze turned murderous as the words fell from its fanged mouth. There was no way she was dead, she was tougher than that. I saw to that when the centipede attacked her and when the crow tried to kill her. She wouldn't die, I wouldn't allow her to. "What did you do to Kagome?" I demanded with venom dripping from every syllable.

The youkai's face contorted into a vicious smile as it bared its fangs at me. "I killed her."

"_You did what?"_ I seethed as I stopped stalking towards the offending youkai. If she really was dead then I wanted to know why, but restraining myself was harder than hell.

"I killed her. She was unable to break her seal, so she died instead. Yet it was satisfying feeling her strength leave her body as I held her head beneath the growing river" it said the malicious smile grew on its face with each word it uttered. He had drowned her to break some seal that he had no way of knowing if she could break it.

My anger turned to rage, he had killed an innocent, just to gain some power. He was disgusting and a sad excuse for a living being. He had no semblance of the importance of life. Killing people just to gain power from them was sickening. It was what I had planned on doing when I met her for the jewel.

My rage towards the youkai in front of me was momentarily diverted back at myself, because I knew that I had a heart even if I didn't act like it most of the time. I wanted to kill this girl for the jewel, but she ended up trusting me anyway. She blindly trusted using her heart to decide, yet I returned her trust by allowing her to die.

No, I would bring her back. But this monster had to die first.

I snarled and leapt after the sinister shadow completely intent on destroying the disgusting creature. He dodged far too easily for my liking. I could hear him chuckling at me and my attempts to eradicate him from the face of the earth. "What is it puppy, did I manage to kill your bitch?" he taunted me.

I merely growled at his comment, 'as if I would choose her'. I lunged at the youkai again, though this time my claws made contact. I smelled the foul blood and his hiss of pain as my claws tore through an arm. "Heh, not getting tired are you?" I taunted him back.

"So the dog can bite." He said in an unamused tone. He was disgusted with the fact that he was wounded by a half breed dog made him angry. When you are angry in a fight you become stronger, but also make mistakes.

I watched as the air grew dark and the shadows seemed to collect around the youkai. He was getting ready to attack. I readied myself for the attack that would take place, thereby leaving him open to attack. I had one shot. I dug my claws into the palm of my hand and waited for the attack to come.

"Kurai shūsoku" he shouted as all the shadows converged and then shot out in arcs like lightening towards me.

I quickly dodged the attacks, some almost singeing me as they shot forward. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me and flexed my claws when I saw an opening. He made a mistake that would cost him his life. "**Hijin Kessō", **I shouted as blades of my own blood formed from my finger tips and raced to the offending youkai. He didn't stand a chance.

He was on his last breaths as he laid on the other bank of the now deepening river. "Even if she lives, the woman you know will die." He said. I almost couldn't make out what he had said as the rain decided to rage on in a downpour and thunder boomed almost deafeningly. I killed the youkai, but it wasn't enough. It wouldn't bring the girl back. I went to check on her dead body. It was cold as I picked it up to carry it back to the village. I tucked her drenched head beneath my chin and took in the scent of death, yet her natural scent was still there beneath the cloud. It wasn't my fault but I felt responsible. I then felt something sharp beneath my feet and look at what I had stepped on. It was her pendant. The swirling colors in the crystal were the same but there was a crack in the crystal's surface. I picked it up none the less, after all she had said it was important to her.

"Damn it wench. Why did you not let me know? Why didn't I know?" I questioned as I continued away to Kaede's village. That moment the rain chose to lighten and I could hear my surroundings much better than before.

_Thumpthump_

I stopped dead in my tracks. There was no way that she was alive, yet I heard it again. The faint beating of her heart.

_Thumpthump_

She wasn't breathing, but her heart was beating. Meaning that she had water in her lungs that had to be taken out, or she would die. I could hear her heart beat getting slower and fainter with each passing second. I moved fast. "Wench, spit it out, or cough it up. Damn it Kagome fight back!" I yelled.

I knew, deep down I knew that what I said wouldn't reach her, so I partially layed her on her side and supported her with one of my arms. I drew my other hand back and connected my flat palm with her back. I repeated the gesture once more, then she lurched and started coughing up water while desperately trying to take in air. She was alive. Kagome was alive.

A/N: Yep she is actually alive, and please don't get me started on how hitting someone on the back will not bring someone back to life. I know because I took health and have taken a class to learn CPR as well as my mom is a nurse. But then I realized something. This story is fiction. Well screw logic and welcome to my own version of Inuyasha... I really need to stop ranting...

Anyways... thank you for reading this chapter and please review! :)


	26. Chapter 26: Fear

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 26: Fear

My eyes were closed and my head felt fuzzy. Then I remembered what happened to me. I died. I saw a bright light behind my eyes, which meant I must be in heaven, or I was in my room and this was all a cracked up dream and I was a masochist. At this point I wasn't all that sure which one I wanted to happen. "Open your eyes wench. I know you are awake" a gruff voice said. I opened my eyes and they were bombarded with light. My eyes squinted against the intrusion and I was able to slowly make out a red and silver figure. My eyes focused and they were met with beautiful golden orbs set in a tan face framed in silver hair. Inuyasha.

He was staring at me; his eyes held annoyance and, what looked like, concern. Either I am still alive or this one messed up version of heaven, I mean where's my super sexy man catering to my every need or the fields of flowers for me to frolic in? Not to mention the other dead people. "This had better not be heaven or I will sue" I managed to rasp out. Great my throat felt like hell, again.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, wench?" he glared at me. I was definitely alive and this wasn't a dream.

'I'M ALIVE!' my mind screamed at me. "I'm alive" I managed to say in slight disbelief. "What happened?" I asked Inuyasha, who handed me a cup of water after listening to my raspy voice.

He sighed and sat down next to me as I tried to sit up. When I did pain shot through my back, 'can't I go ONE day without being injured?' she thought to herself. Her skin stretched against her taut back and at the scabs that had been formed from the demons claws. She could also feel a bruise in the middle upper part of her back. (For all of you who have medical training, I know that the water most likely would not have come out of her lungs when Inuyasha hit her back, but this is fan fiction and if I want I can defy the laws of physics. So, meh)

"You were drowned by that youkai, after that I managed to find you. I killed the bastard and then got the water out of your lungs. After that you started breathing again" he said and I made an 'oh' with my mouth.

There were a few awkward moments of silence before I smiled slightly to myself, "Thank you, Inuyasha. Thank you for saving my life. I owe you one."

The only response I received was a 'keh', but in the short time I have known Inuyasha I was expecting it. To be honest I actually got along with… those weren't the correct words to describe our relationship. No, we tolerated each other and trusted our wellbeing with the other. After all there was no one else in this era that I could trust besides Kaede and Inuyasha. Besides them I was alone. I was also a target in this era, if for nothing but to be food. I am able to see the jewel and I have the blood of a demon line that is sought after. Although now I have a clue as to who I am. If I wanted to prevent anything like this from happening again I would need to train my newly found powers and figure out who I am.

That thought scared me. What if there was a good reason that my powers were sealed besides protecting my identity? What if my race was supposed to be dead? What if me being here is a bad thing? What if I was supposed to die? I thought to myself as all of these what if's flashed through my head. I could feel tears starting to prickle the edges of my eyes. I hated crying, it never solved anything. I simply scowled at the floor beside me.

"Oi. Don't start cryin' stupid." Inuyasha said, clearly uncomfortable.

"I'm not." I defiantly said.

"Keh, do you think I am stupid? I can smell your tears!" turned to scowl at me.

"Maybe I do! Does it look like I am crying?!" I started to yell. I really need to stop letting my anger get the best of me.

"NO! But you were about to!"

"I was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"Were Too!"

"I WAS NOT!" I yelled at him. I bet it echoed in the hut. I know it hurt his ears because they were pinned to the top of his head.

"YOU WERE T…"

"OSUWARI! And I was not" I said as he was thoroughly acquainted with the wood of the hut's floor.

"Keh! You just don't want to admit that you were cryin'!" he said from his position on the floor after the subjugation spell wore off.

"I wasn't crying! So get off it!" I said, getting angry again. He may very well be bad for my health.

"Yeah, you were! So why the hell were you!" he growled angrily.

"Because I'm Afraid! Okay!" I huffed and went outside. The sun was high in the sky, signaling that I had slept until about noon. Yet that didn't matter as I stalked through the village with tears still prickling my eyes.

'I am afraid. Afraid of being alone, of being killed and of who I really am. I am not sure I want to know. Or if I want anyone else to find out.' I thought to myself as I collapsed next to a tree on the outskirts of the village. In truth I always knew that I was adopted, actually my parents had sat me down when I was four, almost five, and told me that they had found me and took me in. They said that my dad had found me near the well when I was three. Yet I don't remember anything from that time, heck my birthday probably isn't even my real birthday.

I sighed and tucked my head between my body and my knees as I wrapped my arms around them to keep them in place. I heard the soft noise of clothes rustling and someone sitting next to me. "What do'ya want?" I mumbled from my position behind my knees without looking up. I figured it was Inuyasha.

He sighed next to me, "Wench."

"Kagome. If you don't use my name then don't talk" I said grumpily. Was it _really_ that hard to say someone's name? C'mon seriously!

"Here. I picked this up for and thought ya would want it back." He said as I turned my head to look from my position on the ground. He had his left arm perched on a knee with his other leg on the ground and bent. His right hand he held in my direction as my pendant dangled from its leather strap. I smiled slightly and took it from his grasp.

I muttered a thanks to him when he decided to speak again, "You don't have to be afraid. I'll protect you, Kagome."

"You finally said my name" I said in almost wonder.

"Keh" was all the response I got before he turned his head away from me.

I figured I would not get much of a reaction from him besides his scoff. So I sat up against the tree with my legs crossed in front of me and I reached behind me with the pendant in tow and retied the sting to it rested again along my neck. I was about to rest my head against the bark of the bark of the tree when I decided to look over at Inuyasha one last time. He was staring at me with a weird expression on his face. "What?" I asked him.

"You don't act like a girl at all" he said gesturing his head to the way I sat.

"I am wearing pants, why should I force myself into an uncomfortable position just for you?" I asked with a sarcastic and annoyed voice.

"Keh, I feel sorry for the dope you marry" he sneered, apparently he enjoys making me angry and being insulting.

I stood up and glared at him. Before he even knew what hit him he was face down in the dirt with a very loud 'osuwari' echoing off of the hills. I huffed and walked back to Kaede's hut so I could help her and get my mind off of murdering my new 'friend'.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was cursing about stupid wenches and girls sensitive feelings, but while he was cursing into the ground around him a thought crossed his mind. 'At least she isn't upset about what was bothering her before.'

A/N: Yay, a some what understanding Inu!


	27. Chapter 27: Strange Happenings

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 27: Strange Happenings

"Hey, Inuyasha?" I asked the half demon on the other side of the hut after we had eaten dinner and were getting ready for bed. I managed to transport a not so bulky sleeping bag to sleep in with me along with ramen and other essentials like girls stuff, shampoo and conditioner, and my all-important i-pod and I even managed to buy a charger with batteries so I don't need an outlet. I love my i-pod and music. It is like an addiction.

"Yeah? What is it wench?" he asked jarring me from my thoughts as I laid out my sleeping bag on the opposite wall next to where Kaede will sleep when she returns from delivering a baby.

I growled, somewhat, "Kagome. You are half demon right?" I asked, knowing that the answer was obvious.

"Are you stupid?" he asked with an 'are you stupid' face.

I sighed and said, "It was more rhetorical than anything else. So one parent was a demon and the other was human. What were your parents like?" I asked him genuinely curious.

"Feh, like I would tell you. They died a long time ago." He said in an almost somber tone.

"Yeah, so did mine, at least my birth parents did, that and I am the only one left with, whatever the hell the race's called, blood. Not only that but I have no memories of them or why I was left to be adopted." I said to him a little annoyed, and sad at the same time because I never knew my parents.

"Listen I never met my father and my mother died a long time ago so drop it. Besides they probably dropped you into another's hands so that they didn't have to deal with a 'filthy half-breed'." He growled at me. I was shocked at what he said. Both by the fact that he said I was unwanted, but also to what he called me like it was burning his tongue when he said it.

I got up from where I was across the room and stomped over to him. This action apparently surprised him because he tried to run from the hut, but I managed to grab one of his forelocks and drag him back through the door. "Now you listen to me." I spat angrily at him, "I am not unwanted and neither are you. And if you EVER say those incredibly demeaning words one more time, I will personally see to your demise. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!" I yelled at him, well at least the last part.

"Jeez woman! Are you tryin' to make me go deaf?" he shouted at me. "Besides you will find out how unforgiving the world is now that you know that you are hanyou" he said gruffly to me as an answer.

I looked him in the eye and decided to correct him, "I'm not hanyou."

He looked at me like I was crazy, "Course you're hanyou! You have demon blood!"

I sighed, "Yeah, we figured that much out, but I am not hanyou."

"Quit bein' in denial. You. Are. A. Hanyou!" he shouted at me getting frustrated at my claims.

"Look, hanyou is HALF demon. I am not HALF demon, I am only a quarter. One of my parents were hanyou and one was human." I scowled at him then added under my breath, "at least that was what that creepy youkai said."

Inuyasha must have heard it because he growled when I mumbled it under my breath, then he let one of his quickly becoming famous 'Keh's before he turned his back to me.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed" I said to his turned back and crawled into my warm sleeping bag. Then I realized I wasn't wearing my pajamas bottoms, but my jeans. I sighed and got out of the comfort of my sleeping bag and dug through my giant yellow backpack for some shorts or flannel pants, heck I would settle for sweat pants if I had to.

"What is it now, wench? I thought you were going to be…" he said and turned around just as I was unbuttoning my pants. His face was red as an apple in less time than it took to blink. "W-w-what are y-you doing?!" he nearly yelled.

"I forgot to put my pajama pants on, besides I am still decent, so why are getting flustered?" I asked him with a raised brow and flat voice.

"You're getting undressed!?" this time he did shout, I knew his mind had gone to places it should not venture.

"Look, get your mind out of the gutter and turn around. I just unbuttoned my pants, jeez." I said as I rolled my eyes and turned around myself. I then dropped my pants and quickly stepped out of them. After that I put on my flannel kitten print pajama pants. I hated sleeping in a bra, but hey beggars can't be choosers. Knowing him he would question what it was. That question I would not be willing to answer. Ever. "I'm decent again, so stop being grumpy and get to sleep."

"Keh" that was the answer that I got. His most common answer at that. I sighed and snuck back into my sleeping bag to, well, sleep. I laid my head down on the small pillow that I had brought with me and let the darkness lead to the land of dreams.

Inuyasha's POV:

I watched her as she drifted off to sleep and thought about what she had said to me. She told me that she wasn't hanyou, but had less demon blood than that. She is a quarter demon. One human parent and one hanyou parent. It almost makes me jealous of her parents. They were most likely in love, to think that someone would love something as disgraceful as a half demon.

Yet that same thought brought me hope for myself. If Kagome was the result of a hanyou and its mate, then maybe one day I will also have a mate and pups of my own.

A small smile graced my lips as I watched her sleeping form, "You really are strange, wench."

Somewhere in Japan:

"Milord! Milord! This is it! The tomb is here, the staff says it is so!" said a whiny annoying voice to a short deformed looking green toad.

A short distance away was a regal looking demon with long flowing white hair. His kimono and hakama were white and the sleeves were lined with red hexagons and blossoms. He wore black armor on his chest and black leg protectors. His shoulder was protected by a band of steel with dangerous spikes laying on its surface. A yellow and blue cloth tied at his waist and moved in the wind along with his hair. His face held a cold expression with emotionless golden eyes gazing forward at the outcropping of rocks. A blue crescent moon hung on his forehead between snow white bangs and two magenta streaks crossed each cheek coming to a sharp point. "Father" was the only word he spoke. Spoken without any emotion in a deep, smooth voice.

"Milord?" the toad croaked out the question as the youkai approached the tomb. When close to the tomb guardians emerged from the shadows, not entirely belonging to this world, yet unable to escape into the shadows. They were phantom dogs, guardians of graves and would attack any and all who ventured too near. That included the youkai approaching the very tomb they guarded.

"I seek the fang. Once I have it I will be on my way." He stated in the same unemotional tone as before. The dogs growled and bristled their fur on their back as they prepared to launch their attack and defend the sacred burial ground they were guarding. Then they did as the youkai took another step forward. Though they were no match for his speed and power. Soon all that was left of the guardians of the graves ere their howls of pain carried on the wind. While the youkai retracted his poison whip back to himself and walked to the entrance to the grave. "Jaken." He called to the toad.

"A-aye, Milord." He said as he hopped up onto the top of the grave site and struck the stone with the strange staff he was carrying. When the wood of the staff hit the stone of the grave the staff twisted and one of the heads, the head of the man, screamed out into the calm of the night. "This cannot be! This is not the grave, Lord Sesshoumaru!" he screeched from atop the stone.

Sesshoumaru in return simply turned and left. He then went over the only clue to that which he was looking for, 'Seen, yet never seen. Protected, yet never known to its protector. Father where have you hidden your treasure?' His eyes narrowed in the slightest to show his displeasure at the current situation.

"Milord, perhaps we could ask Inuyasha. I have heard that he has been released?" the toad gently and cautiously asked Sesshoumaru.

"_Inuyasha"_ he nearly spat the name as if it had left a bad taste in his mouth. 'Perhaps, I should pay a visit to my brother. If nothing but to kill him once and for all. He had dared to disgrace his name by being bewitched by that priestess and bound to a tree.' With every thought his anger grew, but his face never changed. He was a youkai of the highest caliber and would not show weakness. And emotions are human, therefore they are a weakness.

Somewhere in the brush near the tomb were two beady eyes that had witness the entire ordeal. "I must inform master Inuyasha of this" he said quietly under his breath and left, scurrying through the forest to find Inuyasha.


	28. Chapter 28: Scary Child

Inuyasha is not mine and he never was.

Chapter 28: Scary Child

"Thanks for breakfast Kaede" I said as I exited the hut with my bow and arrows in tow with my dagger strapped to my belt. I was heading to the river a little ways away from the village, the other river away from the village. I had no intention of ever going near that river where I drowned. Nope not ever, unless there was an emergency. I walked through the village and away from it getting closer and closer to the river and farther from the nosy people of the village. It was like I was a goddess to them. They were always talking about how much I resembled Kikyo and how powerful and good natured she was. Saying that they were happy she was back. It annoyed me, because they saw this Kikyo person and not me. I sighed and decided to look up before I ran into someth…

"Oompf" I said as I bumped into a hard red clad chest.

"Where the hell are you goin', wench?" he scowled with his arms crossed in his sleeves as he tried to act imposing.

'Yet, he still failed to say my name. Is it poison? Either way I refuse to respond to that name' I stood up and brushed the grass and dirt from my body then walked past him without a glance in his direction. He didn't like that.

"Wench." He growled out then grabbed my shoulder. Bad move I might add. His clawed hand tightened on my shoulder as I tried to get my feelings under control. Any other time he probably would have got off easy, but I wasn't in the mood, not with my thoughts about forever being someone else in the eyes of this period's people. Him calling me 'wench' all the time, and not using my real name, only compounded to the issue that I was just a replacement. I was not happy, and Inuyasha was about to feel that unhappiness.

I grabbed his wrist with the arm connected to my captive shoulder. I felt him tense under the contact of my hand gently resting on top of his wrist. He was unsure of why I had done that action, so he questioned it. "Wench?" he asked, wrong word.

I reached my other hand over my shoulder fast before he knew what I was doing then gripped his wrist firmly. I pulled with all of my strength and used the muscles of my body to pull his off balance and forward. With the momentum I managed to flip him over my shoulder having him land firmly on the ground with a loud thud. He looked up from the ground, clearly surprised by the fact that I was able to do something like that. I scowled at him before he was able to say anything else and stalked past him and to the river in order to practice.

I angrily got my i-Pod out from my back pocket and stuck the ear-buds in my ears. Then I put my i-Pod on shuffle and turned up the volume. Guitar started blasting through the tiny speakers in my ears. Then a grated female's voice came through '_I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation'. _After those eight words I tuned out the rest of the world, namely a currently downed hanyou.

I managed to make my way to the river and then turned down the volume on my i-pod when 'The Best Damn Thing' came across my speakers. Surprisingly this song highlights a few things that I had been thinking. Namely that I am different and not Kikyo. '_Like it or not even though she's a lot like me. We're not the same'_ I had to smile as I took one of the ear-buds out of my ear and placed my quiver on the ground propped against a rock. I drew an arrow and aimed it at the water, so that I didn't destroy any more trees. They just don't deserve it. So even if I manage to blow up the water, the worst thing to happen is that I manage to get dinner. I aimed my bow at the water, not really caring where it would end up, and tried to focus on my power into the arrow. After trying to do so I took my other ear-bud out and set my i-Pod on the ground next to my quiver. No matter how much I loved listening to Avril Lavigne, I needed to concentrate on what I was doing and music going through my ears and into my brain didn't help matters.

I tried to concentrate again and managed to find my power. It was warm, yet cool at the same time. It was a strange sensation and it felt good at the same time. It felt… pure, and right. I managed to push it through my body all the way to my fingertips. Then I led it to the bow and arrow in each hand. It flowed into the wood of each and I opened my eyes and watched as they started to glow a light blue. I took a deep breath and notched the arrow and aimed it at the water. I sucked in a breath of air and pulled the bow back as far as I could then released the arrow. Hoping that I wouldn't blow anything up this time.

Inuyasha's POV:

That damn wench. She flipped me. I can't believe that she managed to throw me over her shoulder, and I didn't even see it coming! I looked up from my spot on the ground as she huffed away from me with some strange contraption that she put in her ears. I could hear it emitting some noises and then someone started to say something about a reputation, about not giving a damn.

Hell, I don't give a damn about whatever she was listening to, but she is going into the forest. Which has demons in it and she can't hear shit with that, that thing in her ears. Damn woman is just always attracting trouble. First the centipede, then the crow then after that the creepy demon from the shadows. Hell she almost died from that last encounter and I did say that I would protect her, but she should at least be aware of her surroundings and not make me do all of the work.

I got up off of the ground, actually grateful that she hadn't sat me this time, and followed her with a string of curses running from my mouth as I followed after the naïve wench. I caught up to her fairly quickly seeing as I am hanyou and have demon speed as well as the fact that she was walking and it hadn't been more than a minute since she left. I watched her walk through the woods, my woods, and to the other river that the village used. She made the thing in her ears quieter, because I couldn't exactly make every word out like with the last person. Then she took one of them out of her ears and looked as if she was concentrating, then I heard her sigh and take the thing she had away from her face and set it on the ground next to her quiver. She then picked up an arrow and concentrated again. Then she glowed.

She started to glow a faint blue color, which I could only assume was her power, and then it bled into the bow and arrow she was holding. She pulled back the bow string as far as she was able as she aimed for the water. Then she released the arrow and it flew to the water where she had aimed it. A second later she was drenched I was wet and we had PLENTY of dinner. She practically blew another channel into the river. All I know is that I learned something today, demon blood and holy blood make a scary child.


	29. Chapter 29: Electric

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is still not mine.

Chapter 29: Electric

"Oi, What the Hell wench!" I yelled as I was sprayed with water from her blast of energy. I am surprised that she was able to put that much power into her arrow, but also just how dangerously untrained she is. She is like a ticking time bomb, just waiting to purify everything. I won't die, but I really don't want to be human for the rest of my life. I almost laughed at that though, but brushed it away to glare at the drenched wench below me.

"Hey! Why're you here!" she shouted at me and pointed accusingly; sending water flying from the movement. She actually looked pitiful with all of her clothes sticking to her skin and her hair flat against her head instead of its normal wavy texture. She looked like a drowned kid… she looked like she did a few days ago when she nearly died.

That wiped the smirk off my face. It also reminded me that she isn't as strong as she would like everyone to believe she is. I jumped out of the tree with a scowl on my face and marched up to her. "I am here for an apology. You did that for no good reason, wench!" I scowled at her wet form.

All she did was glare at me back without saying anything. Then she took her raven hair and rung it out onto the ground. "Wench" I growled. I really don't like to be ignored. All that did was make her glare colder and I could smell anger in her scent. Not good.

"Oi, wench I know you can hear me so answer my question!" I yelled. All that got me was water flung from her hair that she flipped over her shoulder. I growled at her antics. She is making it really hard for me to stay her protector because all I want to do right now is throw her from a cliff. Why did I ever make that promise? Oh, yeah because I need her alive.

She picked up her arrows and looked as if she was going to try again. Not something I would recommend. Boy was I wrong. She had aimed the arrow at a boulder across the, now widened, river. It was almost obliterated. A large, jagged indentation was left in its center where her arrow hit. I knew she was practicing, but I wanted my apology damn it. "Wench" I growled warningly to her. I don't care what she was doing, but she should be giving her attention to me at the moment, especially when I was trying so hard to get it.

'_Make her submit'_

'Where the hell did that come from?' I had to ask myself, hoping to kami that it didn't respond back. When it didn't I turned back to the wench as she continued to fire arrows releasing her anger. What she was angry about I have no idea.

I grabbed her shoulder for the second time that day. This time my grip was tight and was not going to allow her to flip more than once. She glanced over her shoulder and gave me a glare that could have frozen what water was left on my body. I decided to use her name for once, maybe that would at least get her to talk to me. "Kagome" I growled.

"Huh, what do ya know? You do remember some things." She said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes at her sarcasm. "Yeah, now I want my apology. Kagome. Not to mention an answer to my earlier question" I said as I crossed my arms in front of me and hid them in the sleeves of my haori.

She set her bow and arrow down, thank kami, and turned around. When I said that the fabric she was wearing was hugging every curve of her body, I meant it. The Green fabric of her top clung to her torso and her baggy pants hung low on her hips, exposing a little of her stomach. It's not good to be distracted when you are trying to seem imposing. She does have a nice body though.

She looked at me with a 'what the hell do you want' look on her face. She set her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one foot. "What are you talking about, dog boy?"

I don't like that name. Nope not at all. "You know perfectly well what the hell I am talking about. So apologize!" I growled at her. I have been doing that a lot since I was unsealed from the tree.

"Fine. Inuyasha, I am sorry that your brain is so small that you can't remember a name. There happy now? Go away because I have to practice not blowing stuff up." She said with the most attitude I had ever heard from a female, (remember Kagome is not from the Feudal era and women there don't talk back to men, at least not most of them.) First she manages to fling me onto my back, then she drenches everything within a quarter mile, next she ignores me for no apparent reason and lastly she insults me. I. Hate. This. Wench!

"Listen. Wench. Apologize or I swear I don't know what the hell I will do." I seethed.

"_Make her submit"_

There was that voice again, except instead of questioning it I was about to listen to it.

"You'll do what? All you know how to do is sharpen your claw and bark orders. Well guess what _Inuyasha_" she sneered. "I am not just some 'wench' that you can order around. I have a name Damn it! So use it, or so help me I will make you look like that boulder over there." She seethed at me.

"Wen" I started to say, more like growl. Again.

"No, you listen to me. You calling me wench is like me calling you a half breed. You are not a half breed. Half human and half demon yes, but you are not a half breed. You are Inuyasha. Just as I am Kagome. I am not some wench from this time that you can boss around and get whatever the hell you want. Because news flash! Karma's a bitch and you don't always get what you want!" she yelled at me.

The volume of her voice was loud enough to have me pin my ears to my head. Though I did take in everything that she said. I sighed and said, "Listen, bitch"

"OSUWARI! WHAT THE HELL, OSUWARI, MAKES YOU THINK THAT THAT IS A BETTER NAME?! OSUWARI!" she screeched at me. If I wouldn't have been three feet in the ground I would have covered her mouth, or just knocked her out to stop the ringing in her ears. Geez I thought that bitch was a more endearing term. Damn.


	30. Chapter 30: In-between

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I don't think that I ever will, but the OC's are mine and so is this plot.

Chapter 30: In-between

The nerve of him calling me a bitch! I swear if he wants me to apologize that is most definitely not the way to do it. Unless he WANTS to go to hell and back. Which at this point, I would gladly help him with. Ugh!

I huffed and cursed under my breath at the sheer stupidity of aforementioned hanyou. I picked up everything and shoved them in my hands or pockets then trudged back to Kaede's so that I could get a warm meal, clothes and sit next to the fire.

Though, at least I can't blame everything being wet as Inuyasha's fault, it still made me angry that everything was wet and I was in an extremely bad mood.

Wait. Everything was wet. Everything was wet. Shit. My iPod is probably destroyed.

I sighed as I entered Kaede's hut and took my iPod and laid it next to the small fire that was going in the hut, then set my bow and quiver in the corner. The stew that was cooking in the pot above the small fire smelled good and it also reminded me that I was hungry. I started to strip out of my wet clothing, when the thought that Inuyasha could come into the hut at any time crossed my mind.

I brushed it aside and reasoned that if he was brave enough, or was able to, follow me this far after that outburst it would give me another reason to osuwari his ass. I threw my clothes into a pile and then grabbed new clothes from my bag. A pair of light brown linen capris and the red off the shoulder top that I had found in the thrift store. Lucky for me I had also packed an extra pair of undergarments. Unlucky for me, the bra was a black lacey one. 'Well beggars can't be chooser's" I thought as I stripped out of my remaining clothing and put on my undergarments. Then I put on my pants next and I reached for my top, just as the screen of the hut was rudely brushed aside and an irate hanyou stomped through the threshold.

I looked up and gave him my 'you are going to die now' look. It apparently worked because his angry curses turned to scared ones as I caught an 'oh shit' under his breath. "OSUWARI!" I yelled for the, what was it fourth? Time that day. You really can't teach an old dog new tricks. Speaking of old, how old is Inuyasha?

I wondered to myself as I put on the red top, not caring at this point that the lacey straps of my bra were showing. Meh.

"Hey Inuyasha?" I asked, still slightly irritable, but now mainly curious about how old he actually was.

"What" he grumbled from the floor as he managed to peel himself off of the floor.

"How old are you?" I asked genuinely curious.

"Like I would tell you stupid. You haven't answered any of my questions so there is no way in hell that I am ansewrin' yours" he scoffed at me.

I sighed, "Alright fine. I am sorry for sitting you, repeatedly. I was high strung and angry." I said, really I did mean it. Somewhere deep down I was sorry that had happened and that I couldn't control my emotions better, but the bigger part of me just wanted to get my answer. As I opposed to what I had learned about appeasement from WWII, it usually worked on people in cases like this.

"Keh" he said and I mentally cheered because he wasn't as ticked with me as he was before. Now for my answer.

"Sooo" I started, "How old are you really?" I asked with full curiosity.

"You aren't going to let this go are you?" he asked me.

I simply smiled and cheerily told him, "Nope!"

"I don't see how this is important, but whatever. I'll tell you. I am over 200 years old" he said while looking me dead in the eye. He was telling the truth.

I was shocked, he had lived for over 200 years and he looked like he was either 19 or 20. Yet he still acted like a five year old. I tossed my thoughts about things away and saw this about an opportunity to learn more about demons, especially because I had some demon blood myself. "So, demons age differently from humans, right?" I asked him as he seemed to calm down with each passing moment. That was another thing that amazed me, we actually got along quite well. Even with the fighting we managed to go back to a relatively comfortable state and we have only known each other for around a week. It almost brought a smile to my face, but then he would ask why I was smiling and then one thing would lead to another and there would be another mysterious crater in the Earth's crust.

"Keh, of course we do. We are not weak like humans. We don't get sick and heal faster too. Most demons are able to manipulate their aura for attacks, like my sankon tessou. Though because you only have a quarter demon blood I don't know how long your lifespan is or if you have any other powers besides the ones that you already have" he said giving me more information than I had asked for. Yet still managing to insult me in the process.

"Thanks for the info, but humans are not weak" I said to the hanyou next to me.

"Keh, yes they are. All they do is get killed in battle." He gruffly said.

"You're wrong. Yes, demons have brute strength, but they lack strength of heart. At least that is what I have seen. Humans make up for their overwhelming weakness in physical strength with the strength of heart. The will to protect those they care about and become empowered by that will. Humans are not entirely weak, just as the world is not black and white, demon and human. You and I are proof of that. We are the grey, the in-between. The mediators and the harbingers of an age to come. We are what blurs the invisible line, until it doesn't exist anymore. At least that is what I think when I hear stuff like that." I said as I realized that I had given a speech instead of just a simple answer. Yet deciding what strength is and what wasn't is not simple, just as life is never simple.

I looked over to Inuyasha who looked stunned at what I had just said. "What?" I squeaked out.

"Nothing, it's just that you are weird" he said with a smirk on his face.

I was about to yell at him that I wasn't weird when Kaede entered her hut to find us being somewhat civil towards each other. "Would ye like something to eat?" she asked and in answer my stomach growled. She just chuckled as he filled up three bowls with the stew that was over the fire.


	31. Chapter 31: Hanyou

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own...

Tora: You own my sexiness!

Aya: Shut up Tora.

Me: Right, on with the story before Tora gets ahead of himself...

Aya: It is far too late for that Luna. Now please enjoy!

Chapter 31: Hanyou

Kaede walked into the hut just at the right moment. If it had been a few moments later Kagome and I would have been in a fight and, like I have been learning, it most likely would have ended in me becoming acquainted with the ground… again. I took the food that was given and ate it in silence as Kagome conversed with Kaede. After I was done I left the small hut and found a sturdy tree to rest in close to the hut. I looked back from where I was sitting in the tree to the small hut where the old hag and wench were settling down to go to sleep. I had a lot to think about. Namely what Kagome had said.

_'__We are the grey, the in-between. The mediators and the harbingers of an age to come. We are what blurs the invisible line, until it doesn't exist anymore.'_

Her words echoed through my mind as I tried to think about their meaning. She had said that half demons are the grey, the in-between. Yes, hanyou are half of each world, both human and demon. Yet they are considered weak and disgusting by those around them. They are despised by human and demon alike. They don't belong anywhere, yet her words meant something different. She was saying that hanyou, half-demons are both worlds, so they belong in both. Not as an outcast. That hanyou are strong in body and heart. They are the best of both worlds.

If that was truly what she had meant, then she thought differently than anyone I had ever met, or anyone in this era for that matter. She was different in so many ways. She wasn't hanyou, she was a quarter demon, but looked and smelled human. She thought about things that I had never considered and fights for what she believes in. She has a large heart, even if her temper is just as big.

I chuckled to myself at the thought. "Get your rest wench, because tomorrow we set out for the jewel" I said to no one in particular. 'You really are strange, Kagome' was the last thought as I dozed softly in the branches of the tree. Waiting for tomorrow to come.


	32. Chapter 32: The hunt is on!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 32: The Hunt is On!

"Oi! Wench wake up!" Inuyasha yelled as he entered the hut where a certain, young Miko lay. "Oi!" he yelled.

"Inuyasha" she growled at him. "Osuwari. Now shut up or you will fly straight past hell before you even know you left the face of the Earth. Got it?" she questioned the cursing hanyou on the floor. Then she turned her back to Inuyasha and curled up in her sleeping bag, sinking back into the welcoming darkness it provided.

When Inuyasha managed to pry himself off of the floor he cursed under his breath. He had to wake her up, hopefully in a way that would make her angry and awake at the same time. He looked around the room for anything that he could use to throw at her or dump on her. Then his eyes settled on a pale in the corner of the room. If Kagome had seen the malicious grin on Inuyasha's face, then she would have been up and ready to go. Though she hadn't witnessed it, nor did she hear when the hanyou picked up the pale from the corner of the room. Nor did she hear him exit and enter a little time later. Though she did feel the ice cold water that was splashed on her while she was trying to find solace and warmth in her fluffy sleeping bag.

"AAAAHHHHH!" she screamed as she shot out of the sleeping bag and skittered across the room to huddle in a relatively warm corner.

"Ya awake yet?" he sneered with his triumphant smirk plastered off of his face.

Kagome just glared at him then she got up from her position and shoved Inuyasha out of the door and into the sun. Then she marched back into the hut and with her back turned to the bewildered hanyou…

"OSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARI!" she screamed and ensured that there was another geological mystery crushed into the Earth. Then huffed and decided that since she was so rudely awaken that she should at least get ready for the day. 'What time is it anyway?' She wondered. She managed to find a watch that was in her yellow sac and looked at the time. It was 6:30 in the morning. Though apparently that didn't matter to Inuyasha, who woke up at the freakin' crack of dawn.

After Kagome got dressed and finished cursing at an equally irate hanyou she walked out of the hut only to be met with Inuyasha glaring at her. "What? Did you get water colder than freaking Antarctica poured on you? No?" she questioned and his eyes only narrowed. "Didn't think so. If you expect another apology, then you are going to be waiting a long time. By the way, you had better have a good reason for waking me up so early." She said to the hanyou before her.

"Keh! Ya know that we have to get the rest of the damn jewel. Why else would I bother with you?" he questioned her angrily. Apparently sore at the fact that he was sat so many times in a short amount of time. Today was going to be just peachy!

"I should sit you again for that." She muttered beneath her breath, but the Inuyasha with his oh so amazing hearing managed to hear her.

"Keh. The sooner we find the jewel the sooner I can get rid of you" he said as he began walking away.

Kagome clenched her fists as she resisted the urge to wither create another geologic mystery or just ensure he never had children. As she calmed herself down she wondered if she could find a way to do both in one move. When she was calm enough to call out to the hanyou who was stalking away from her, she did. "Inuyasha. What about breakfast?" she asked his retreating figure. He stopped and turned around to glare at her. His face saying 'you didn't wake up early enough, stupid'.

Kagome in turn just looked at him trying not to osuwari him. She took a breath and walked back to the hut in order to make herself breakfast out of some vegetables that Kaede had left for her.

Inuyasha's POV:

'Stupid wench. If she wanted to eat, then she should have woken up earlier. Not to mention I had the kindness to wake her up myself.' I thought to myself as I watched her stalk back into the hut to eat her breakfast. 'Weak human' I thought to myself. 'No that wasn't right. She isn't human, at least not entirely. She is an enigma. A human with demon blood. A hanyou, of sorts, with spiritual powers and the ability to purify demons without killing herself. Then there is who she actually is and the demon that she had descended from. She was an unknown. Someone who had mysteries about everything they are, yet she herself knows nothing beyond what I know. She has spiritual powers, a hanyou parent and a human parent, her true powers and self are sealed and she smells amazing.' I pondered.

I looked up at the sky and decided that the wench had had enough time to eat and it was time to go. The sooner I get the jewel the sooner I can become a full demon. So I went back to the hut and entered just as she was finishing eating whatever was once in the bowl she had in her hand. "Oi, let's get a move on. I want to find the rest of the jewel." I told her as she scowled at me.

"Fine. Just let me pack a little then we can go." She said in an annoyed voice. This journey was going to be absolutely wonderfuckingful. I sighed.

In around five minutes later she had packed everything she decided she needed. Then she said goodbye to Kaede and we began our journey. And it was bound to be long and annoying.


	33. Chapter 33: Night Talk

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 33: Night Talk

"Inuyasha, I'm hungry and tired. We need to rest, it is way past lunch and now it is dinner time. Heck it will probably dark soon." I complained because we had been walking all day and it was going on about six o'clock if I was reading the sun's position right. Not only was I incredibly hungry, but my feet were killing me. Even though I was wearing shoes made for hiking and comfort it didn't matter. When you were on your feet for more than nine hours straight they hurt and nothing will change that, except rest and ibuprophin. Pain killers a wonderful invention.

"Keh, we need to get a lead on the jewel and you are the only one who can see em'" he said as he continued to walk ahead of me.

"Inuyasha I am hungry and you have got to be hungry. That and the jewel shards are not going to disappear. We will find them, so for now we need to find somewhere safe to sleep and eat." I said to him as I continued down the path we were walking. We had come a fair distance from Kaede's village, averaging a mile every fifteen minutes to a half hour. Taking that into account we had probably walked a good 20 miles or more. 'So tired' I thought to myself as my feet practically screamed at me. 'I'm glad that I am in shape or this would not have been good' I pondered briefly before Inuyasha decided to reply.

"Keh, fine but once the sun is up we continue on. Got it?" he said in an irritated manner. He must still be upset from this morning.

"Thank you, Inuyasha" I said and he looked back at me for a second before turning his head and hiding his face. Though I still managed to catch a slight blush on his cheeks. I knew that it wasn't from the fact that I was a girl, but more that I had thanked him sincerely. I did and I meant it because my feet were going to fall off any second if they didn't rest soon.

Eventually Inuyasha decided to turn off of the route we were taking and led us into a small grassy patch of earth that was lined with trees. I sat down and took out everything that I needed in order to cook dinner. A kettle, chopsticks, a stand for the kettle and instant ramen. I figured that since Inuyasha like my mom's ramen so much he would like instant. "I figured you would want Ramen, so could you get some wood for the fire?" I asked him.

"Ramen?" he asked me and I could see his eyes light up at the word.

I giggled a little at how much he seemed to love ramen before responding to him. "Yes, ramen. If you could get the wood for a fire, then I could some water from the stream we passed not too long ago."

"Keh" was all the response I managed to receive before he too off and looked for firewood. I went back a little ways to get the water necessary for ramen.

The night was uneventful as we ate. Inuyasha shoveling the food into his mouth as I slowly ate from my own cup. By the time I was done with my one cup he had eaten three cups. I internally rolled my eyes at his appetite and total lack of manners. Yet I knew that if he actually behaved like some gentleman we would never get along. After all I am best friends with Tora; a pervert trying to build a harem, Jak; a wonderful gay guy who could easily turn a straight guy, Kara; a strong and rebellious girl roped into a political marriage, and Aya; a cute preppy girl with anger issues. It makes sense that I would get along with Inuyasha, at least to a degree.

We finished our dinner when the sun was just starting to set. I got out my sleeping bag and went into the privacy of some bushes to change into some comfortable sweats before returning to go to sleep. I climbed into my sleeping bag and then thought back to one of the conversations we had, "So you were raised by your mom?" I asked innocently. I studied his face as it went from surprised at the unexpected question to almost sad. I just hoped that he didn't push me out again. "If you don't want to talk about we don't have to. I was just thinking that she did a pretty good job."

"What" he asked, clearly confused.

"She did a good job at raising you" I said with a sincere smile on my face.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked brashly.

"You are alive and you have a kind heart." I said to him, starting to get sleepy.

"Keh, what would you know?" he asked, now curious as to what I was getting at.

"Inuyasha, you didn't kill me for the jewel when anyone else would have. You attempted to save me from the crow when it wanted to eat me for a snack. You came to my time to make sure I was okay and not dead. If you saw Tora as a threat you would have dealt with him. Not only that, but you saved my life after I was drowned" I said to him. After I mentioned my near death experience I thought I saw him twitch a little, but pushed it out of my mind. "You did all that because you have a good heart. Your mother raised you well" I continued with my explanation.

He seemed almost in awe at what I had said, but then he gave me a tiny smile, "Yeah, I guess she did."

"So, was your mother the demon partner or the human partner?" I asked him, getting back to what I really wanted to know.

"She was human, but like I said, she died a long time ago" he said sadly.

I remembered him telling me that he was over 200 years old, and no human could live that long. I sighed and looked back at him as his face held a solemn look. "I'm sorry." I said to him. Apologizing for bringing up painful memories. "I'm sure she was a wonderful person." I said to him.

All the response I receive from him was a 'keh'. I decided to get comfortable to sleep for the night. "Hey, Inuyasha?" I asked as I settled into my sleeping bag.

"What?" he grumbled as he leaned against the nearest tree with his arms and legs crossed.

"If you ever want someone to talk to, you can talk to me." I said and blushed at my actions and the fact that I sounded like a therapist. "Well, goodnight!" I said quickly while turning my back to him.

"Keh. Goodnight Kagome" he said and I had to smile at the fact that he didn't use 'wench' this time and addressed me by name. With that thought I drifted off to sleep, not knowing about how long our journey would truly be.

Meanwhile in the shadows of the forest lurked a demon, far enough away from the half demon and the girl to not be noticed. Its glowing white eyes waiting in the darkness for the proper timing to make its move. When the night was well under way, but dawn was a far way off the half demon was beginning to nod off into the land of dreams. Then an eerie mist began to leak from the forest, seeming to originate from the being with white eyes. It crept from the forest towards the two companions that were next to the dying fire.

The mist surrounded them in a thin fog as it lulled the half demon to a deep sleep and kept the girl from stirring. The n the being with the glowing white eyes stepped out of the trees and walked to the two sleeping companions. "Now, all I need is information, then I can enjoy your souls to the fullest" it said as its face contorted into sharp toothed smile. "Let's see where your dreams lead shall we?" it said to the unconscious companions.


	34. Chapter 34: Memories

Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 34: Memories

The demon began its work as the mist intensified and allowed long forgotten memories to surface. Though, the memories that resurfaced were not only that of Inuyasha, but that of Kagome as well. The memories she, herself had locked away in the dark recesses of her mind. Just as the eyes are the portal to the soul, dreams are a portal to the past.

Inuyasha's dream:

_Everything around me was in a fuzzy haze, like I had woken up and failed to clear the sleep from my eyes. Then my vision improved and I found myself in a garden surrounded by many flowers. In the distance there was a large manor house, for a noble family or even royalty. I knew this place. It was where I grew up, until my mother died._

_I watched, unable to move, in shock at the scene before me. Lords and ladies gathered talking to each other in the courtyard of the manor. Next a streak of red caught my eye. My vision immediately darted to the sharp color compared to the blues, pinks and yellows of the humans. It was me, yet it wasn't. This me had silver hair, dog ears and golden eyes, but he was just a boy. He was no older than four years old. His face still held innocence and cheerfulness. It also held trust and love. Traits that no longer showed on my own visage. His hands were smaller and his eyes were larger and filled with curiosity. 'You will lose all of that very soon' I thought to myself as I watched the scene unfold like a long forgotten memory._

_The boy with the silver hair ran into the middle of the group of humans, trying to gain attention and possibly someone to play with him. While the humans tried to ignore the pup, he became insistent and grabbed onto the cloth of one of the lord's hakama. _

_The pup was promptly kicked away by the same lord, "Filthy half-breed. Don't ever touch me again. We only tolerate you because of your noble mother." He spat every word with venom to the young pup, who was now on the ground. Confusion and sadness lighting his eyes._

_I felt my own anger and sorrow at the man's words towards the young boy. Yet I was unable to move. I was simply a spectator in this place. Meant only to watch as the strangely familiar scene continued on without paying any heed to me. I watched as the pup ran to the garden that I was standing in and to a beautiful woman who looked every bit a princess. She had long black hair that shone brightly in the sun and large, dark almost black eyes. Her lips were turned in a sad smile as she watched her son come running to her. Her small and graceful hands open and apart to embrace the pup. He ran into her welcoming arms and hugged himself against her and her many colored robes. "Mother" was all I thought as I watched the scene unfold. I had almost forgotten how beautiful she was._

_"__Inuyasha, whatever is the matter?" she questioned the boy in her arms with worry. She knew what was wrong and blamed herself for it._

_"__What is a half-breed, mother?" the pup asked the lady who was holding him. A lone tear leaked from one eye and fell from her porcelain face to splash against the ground._

_"__No matter what they say, you are not a half-breed. They don't understand just how beautiful you truly are. You have the heart of a human and the strength of a demon. You are brave and kind and loyal and caring. That is why you were only able to come into existence because of love. You may not understand now, Inuyasha, but one day you will" she said to the little pup in her arms._

_Then the scene faded and I was cast into the thick mist again. 'I forgot about what my mother had said at that time.' She thinks a lot like Kagome, or is it the other way around?' I questioned myself as the mist once again started to clear. This scene felt familiar, but I had absolutely no memory of it ever happening. Could this be a dream?_

_Before me was a dark room and in it my mother was talking to me. Well she was talking to the pup that was seated in front of her. Suddenly a wave of dizziness shot through me and I had to kneel on the floor to prevent myself from falling forward. I looked back at the scene being unveiled before me and listened the best that I could. Even with my hearing I was barely able to make out the hushed conversation._

_"__Inuyasha, my sweet boy. One day I will not be able to protect you." She said to the small pup before her._

_"__But, mother we will always be together. Won't we?" the pup asked with a hopeful voice and pleading eyes. I knew that eventually she would die, after all she was human. Though when I was young I never expected her to die so quickly and leave me when I was still so young._

_"__Oh, honey. I am only mortal, though I will always love you and guide you. Even after I am gone I will help you anyway that I can" she said with tears in her eyes and I took a moment to really look at her. Her face was pale and her skin was starting to turn ashen, if this had ever taken place then she would not have lived mush longer after this._

_"__No!" the pup yelled. "You can't leave me!" he shouted and mother took him into her arms. Clutching him to her chest in an effort to soothe the pup._

_"__Inuyasha, I have not a choice in the matter. I may leave you, but one day you will find someone who never will. They will stay by your side no matter what." She told the pup with a faint smile on her face as he looked up with tears in his eyes that refused to fall. "One day you will need to protect that person and to do that your father left you something."_

_"__What? Father did?" the pup asked._

_"__Yes, but you will have to find it. It belongs to you." She answered her son as she still held his small form in her embrace._

_"__Wh-what did he leave me?" he asked the beautiful woman that was his mother._

_"__I don't know my boy. He only left two clues 'seen yet never seen. Protected, but never known to its protector' and 'the black gate is right'. I don't know what they mean, but one day you will. When that day comes you will be able to protect your important person" she said as she smiled to her son. The pup seemed perplexed at his mother's words and just decided to nuzzle into his mother's warmth and comfort._

_"__Okay, mother" he said as he sought to be further in her embrace. Then the scene faded to darkness. There was no light, warmth or people. There was nothing but suffocating darkness as each breath was more labored than the last._

In the field of reality:

"No! No! No! You can't eat him until Lord Sesshoumaru gets the information he needs. If you want to feed off of someone eat the girl!" the shrill voice of the toad demon screamed at the ugly demon as it crouched over Inuyasha's body ready to devour his soul. Its blank glowing white eyes looked at the toad then to the girl that had been taken out of her strange bedding and carried, much like the half demon had, to a much darker and secluded area. It licked its dry and cracked lips as it took in the sight of the vulnerable mortal girl.

"Then I shall feed from her as she drowns in despair from her past" the demon said as it walked through the heavy mist that swirled around the enclosed, dark space. Its tattered clothing hanging loosely on its thin bony body as it was moved by the breeze. Its dark stringy hair hanging lifelessly from its head as it neared the girl lying unconscious on the ground.

"Wait! What did you see in his memories?!" the toad screeched at the demon before it had a chance to start feeding from the girl. The demon snarled in response, showing its sharp teeth to the surrounding darkness.

"The only clues were that it is seen, yet unseen and protected, yet never known to its protector. The other is that the black gate is right. I have done my job and now I would like my meal." The demon snarled and turned back to devour the girl. Neither demon heard the almost nonexistent sound of something cracking from stress or pressure.

The demon that was about to devour the girl looked over its soon to be meal once more until it came to her face. There what it saw unnerved it and made it fearful. There on her face were the eyes of a demon, not a human. They were glowing bright blue eyes, with the slightest tint of green if looked at closely enough. They were eyes that saw all living energy, eyes that were supposed to never be seen again. They were the eyes of a long dead race, who had dangerous and frightening powers. Those eyes were the last thing that the demon saw. "_Die"_ was the last word it ever heard.


	35. Chapter 35: Fried and Extra Crispy

Disclaimer: I don not own Inuyasha, though the OC's are mine.

Mysterious stranger: The hell we are! I am not owned by anyone! You MPMPHMHP!

Aya: Shut up. You don't show up yet and you won't for a while. Besides no one knows who you are!

Me: Riiiight. Well enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 35: Fried and Extra Crispy

Jaken looked up from his place near Inuyasha as the dream demon got closer to the girl. 'Stupid human' the toad thought. He then looked to Inuyasha with disdain in his eyes and muttered something under his breath about disgraceful half breeds. Then the sound of air hissing and crackling brought his attention back to the demon and the girl on the ground. She was no longer unconscious and she was looking directly at the demon stopped before her. He saw her eyes, they were the eyes of a demon race from legends. A demon race with no true name, who had strange powers that were similar to those of purity. That race of demons that was told to children to keep them in bed at night. Their counterparts just as scary and frightening. They were bred in the shadows, where the nameless demons were bred in the light. The nameless demons were also immune to purifying energy and were very hard to kill. Though that was only in legends.

Yet as Jaken looked at the scene before him he knew that the eerie bright blue eyes belonged to no human or demon in existence, or that was supposed to exist. Those eyes showed power and anger to the dream demon stopped in its tracks in front of the girl, who was still lying on the ground. The air around her crackled and sparked with untamed power as her eyes never blinked from her intended target. Then she reached out a hand from her side and said only one word as it touched the ground. "Die."

From her hand a wave of bright blue power, akin to the eyes she possessed, rushed to the youkai standing not too far away. It arced off of her finger tips like electricity and shot though the ground in jagged streaks. When it reached the youkai it engulfed it in a bright blue light that shone fiercely against the night's backdrop. The youkai didn't even have time to scream before its body was burned from the inside out and all that was left was a pile of ash.

Jaken was terrified and mesmerized at the same time by the show of power and lack of control. He was too enthralled by what was happening in front of him to notice the imposing youkai waltz out from the trees. His silver hair waving slightly in the almost nonexistent breeze. "Jaken."

"Gahh!" he said when his name was called behind him in a smooth deep voice. He turned around and was face to face with Lord Sesshoumaru. "Milord?" he asked in a shrill voice.

"What have you found" he asked, his eyes never looking at Jaken. He was looking at the girl with the glowing blue eyes getting up off of the forest floor. She stood up and stared straight into his cold golden eyes with her intensely blue ones. 'Akihiro?' Lord Sesshoumaru thought as he looked at the girl, her power flowing from her very being and surrounding her. Her blue power was twisting and churning around her form as she stood there waiting for something.

"W-well not anything we already didn't know. Seen yet unseen and protected yet never known to its protector." He said, but then seemingly remembered what the dream demon had said, "Oh! I was told that the black gate is right. Though I have no idea what that means." Jaken said in his screechy voice.

'The black gate is on the right' Lord Sesshoumaru thought to himself trying to deduce its meaning. Yet his eyes never leaving the girl as she stood still, staring at him with her power fluctuating about her. Every ounce of his being was telling him that she was dangerous and would be some trouble if engaged in a fight.

"_Lord Sesshoumaru."_ The girl said in a melodious and deadly voice. A voice used to lure prey into a trap and false sense of security. "_You were there. I remember"_ she said as she took a step closer to the daiyoukai that never looked away from her. Cold eyes locked with deadly bright ones. "_Yet you did nothing. They died and you did nothing, but watch it happen"_ she said baring her teeth at the daiyoukai. Exposing small fangs in the process as she flexed her fingers, which had their own claws, getting ready for a fight.

"I do not know you. I don't associate with half breeds" he said with a venomously cold voice.

"_No I suppose you don't. After all you hate your own brother. Just as you despised my father, and therefore despise me"_ she sneered at him, her voice becoming more murderous with every syllable she uttered.

"I do not, nor did I ever know your father" he said as he narrowed his eyes a fraction. His hearing just barely registering the rustle of fabric nearby. Inuyasha was starting to wake up, though even his instincts had recognized the threat that the girl posed to his health. Yet the spell of the dream demon was wearing off slowly. 'I don't want him dead' Sesshoumaru thought. 'Yet.'

"_Hmm, maybe so"_ the girl said with a deceivingly calm smile. "_But you did know my grandmother and grandfather. I daresay that I resemble my grandmother in many ways, but my eyes are most definitely not hers."_ She said as she continued to advance on Sesshoumaru and getting closer to Inuyasha at the same time.

Inuyasha's POV:

My head was foggy and my body felt like it never wanted to move, but all of my instincts were telling me that if I didn't move I would be dead, or at least maimed. When I managed to sit up and look around at my surroundings I noticed that I was not where I had fallen asleep. The next thing I noticed was the unnatural electricity in the air. I looked to my right and at least twenty feet away from me was a large pile of, what appeared to be, ash. It was an unnerving sight because I didn't know what the ash was from because there was no fire, but the smell of burning flesh caught my nose.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and what I saw shocked the hell out of me. Kagome was facing my half-brother with power flowing off of her in waves and her eyes, a bright blue, were locked with his own golden ones. Kagome was closing the distance between them with every step she took. 'Is she trying to commit suicide?' I questioned myself. Though my ears then picked up the deadly, yet melodious voice that was coming from Kagome. 'That is not her voice, no her voice is sweet or loud when she is angry, but it never sounded like a sweet death sentence' I thought to myself as her words filtered through my brain.

"_You already recognized the resemblance, right? After all, my father's eyes were a caring purple and my mother's were a chestnut color. No, I never inherited their eyes. No my eyes came from farther up the tree than just my parents. You always admired these eyes because the one who had them before me was so wise and powerful. Yet you hated them because they saw your weakness both from fifteen years ago and five hundred. After all you were there both times. Weren't you Sesshoumaru" _Kagome said with malice in her voice.

'What? How does she know what would have happened five hundred years ago? What happened five hundred years ago? What happened fifteen years ago? What the hell is happening now?!' my mind screamed at me as I got to my feet steadily and readied myself for… anything that may happen.

Though I did not expect her to smile sweetly before lunging herself at my bastard of a half-brother. I growled under my breath as I did what my instincts were telling me to do in order to protect her from him. I ran and jumped, successfully tackling her to the ground just as the bastards energy whip struck the place that she was just at in the air. We rolled along the ground until the momentum from my tackle subsided. When we finally stopped I looked down at Kagome, who was beneath me, and found myself on the ground in the next moment. A stinging sensation on my cheek let me know that I was struck. "What the Hell Inuyasha! What the HELL were you DOING?!" she question in her normal angry voice and a blushing face.

Only one thought crossed my mind as I realized what was happening, at least to some extent. 'She doesn't remember!'


	36. Chapter 36: ITS SOOO FLUFFY!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine.

Chapter 36: IT'S SOOO FLUFFY!

"What the hell was that for, wench?!" I yelled at her as we both got up off of the ground quickly. Though she decided to continue to argue with me. Apparently not sensing, seeing, or remembering Sesshoumaru was standing close by.

"What do you mean what was that for?! I woke up to you on top of me! What was I supposed to do when I wake up in an unknown place with a guy on top of me?!" she yelled at me with anger in her eyes, which had reverted back to their chocolate brown color.

'What the hell is going on?' I had to ask myself. "Well sorry for trying to save you from…" I started to say as I sensed danger from behind me, well more danger than earlier. I grabbed the wench and dodged the bastard's energy whip, just in the nick of time. I touched down further away and in the trees, "From him!" I yelled at her as she looked to where I was pointing at. I saw her eyes widen at the sight of the bastard who tried to kill us. I saw surprise cross her features then I saw confusion on her face as she was thinking. About what I had no idea, but when she started giggling to herself I didn't want to know.

Kagome's POV:

I had no idea what was happening. None at all. First I woke up to find Inuyasha on top of me, then we were screaming at each other and the next thing I knew I was in a different spot with Inuyasha pointing at someone. That someone was a demon. A regal looking demon with long silver hair and a face any girl would envy. He was more beautiful than anyone I had ever seen and he had, what looked, like eye shadow over his eyes and magenta stripes across his face with a blue crescent moon in the center of his forehead. Then my mind got curious, who was he, why does he look like a girl, is he a cross dresser, is he gay? Then my mind wandered further to the one time I watched 'Legally Blonde the Musical' with Aya. It went to the song 'There, Right There' and I had ask myself if he was gay or European?

(By the way I do not agree with this song and what it says. It is funny, but incredibly insulting to homosexuals and Europeans. I do find it offending and funny at the same time. Like blonde jokes, some are funny, but all are offending. I can attest to that because I do have blond hair, and I am not stupid. As you can tell by my writing. This is not meant to offend anyone, just playing off of Fluffy's amazing beauty, and all of the fan fiction with him as being a homosexual. Thanks, just wanted to clear that up!)

I couldn't help myself I had to laugh, or at least giggle to myself at my thoughts. Yet something told me that if I were to voice my thoughts, we would die. So I kept my mouth shut. After I got myself under control I asked Inuyasha, "So who's that?"

I swear Inuyasha was about to face palm himself as he looked at me in disbelief and annoyance, "You really don't remember?" he asked me. I honestly had no clue as to what he was saying.

"Remember what? I think I would have remembered boa man over there" I said as I looked at the demon with the same gold eyes as Inuyasha, except they held a coldness that rivaled Antarctica. 'I want to pet it' I absently thought as I saw how fluffy his boa was.

"Wha' the hell is a 'bo-ah'?" he asked me as I was staring at the incredibly plush thing over his shoulder.

"The fluffy thing-a-ma-bob over his shoulder" I answered and watched as he took his hand away from his body and it started to glow a yellow color. This was obviously not the time to be carrying out a conversation. Besides he looked like he wanted to kill. Not only that, but he felt like he wanted to kill me and Inuyasha. My inner voice was screaming at me to run and run damn fast.

"What you mean his tail?" Inuyasha asked me as a yellow glowing whip materialized from the youkai's finger tips.

Note to self: ALWAYS, ALWAYS listen to that little voice in the back of your head telling you to haul ass.

I just managed to scream Osuwari and get to the ground before the trees surrounding us were given a wonderful 'trimming' by our oh-so friendly demon friend. I heard Inuyasha cursing next to me and decided to get up and defend myself with my dag… 'Where is my dagger?' I thought.

Then before I knew it I was thrown against a tree, which was still standing, on the other side of the small open area. I gasped for breath from the impact and found claws at my throat with those incredibly cold eyes staring at me emotionlessly. 'What is with demons and trying to choke me?' I had to ask myself, though in this situation it did me little good.

He picked me off of the ground by my neck, sliding me up the tree and against its rough bark. "Who are you" he asked, or demanded with slightly narrowed eyes. His eyes, though they seemed cold and emotionless held some disbelief as well as curiosity. I debated kicking him where it hurt, but decided against it. He was wearing armor there, and if I did manage to get a hit in he would kill me. Unlike Inuyasha.

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha yelled. "Leave her alone! She is only human!" he said to the demon holding me against the tree. The only sign that he had heard was the shift in his eyes to Inuyasha's voice. Then Inuyasha charged at the man holding me off the ground and choking the life out of me. He dropped me just as Inuyasha's claws sliced through the air where the youkai once stood. Thank the kami that I was on the ground already. I really didn't want a haircut.

I saw a flash of red go by my vision as it was chased by a blur of white. They were so fast that I couldn't see them. Though I knew that the youkai was faster and most likely more powerful. They continued to trade blows with each other. Claw for claw, attack for attack. I felt that the youkai was simply playing with Inuyasha. Which he most likely was.

Then I saw a white and red blur crash into a tree nearby. The wood splintered on impact, but did not fell the tree. Though it would most definitely scar it. I winced at the destruction and the pain that Inuyasha must feel due to the impact.

"I know where it is, Inuyasha." The youkai said with a small smirk, which was more sadistic than it should have been. "Seen yet, never seen. Protected yet never known to it's protector. The last clue was provided by you; the black gate is right." He said as he held Inuyasha against the tree by his neck. 'Again the neck, always the neck. Why can't it be the shoulders?' I quickly questioned myself as I watched what was happening unfold. I could feel the tension in the air and Inuyasha cursing and growling was not making it better.

What I didn't expect to happen was the youkai to plunge his fingers into Inuyasha's right eye and retrieve a small black object. It looked like a pearl. A black pearl, not the ship.


	37. Chapter 37: Myoga

Disclaimer: not mine and never was. Except the original concept, personalities and characters of this story.

Chapter 37: Myoga

I really didn't give a damn about what my bastard of a brother was saying. I just cursed at him and tried to bloody his _lovely_ white robes with his own blood. Then I saw him rear his unoccupied hand back and plunge two of his clawed fingers into my eye. That hurt, so much.

Just as quickly as he pierced my eye he retrieved his fingers and took something with them. He then dropped me to the ground and walked away. I clutched my eye, or what was left of it. I could feel the blood running down my face as I clenched my eye shut.

I looked to where my ass of a half-brother was and I could see that he held something in his claws. It was a small black orb. 'That must have been what was in my eye' I thought to myself while thinking that it never belonged there in the first place. He called to his annoying retainer, Jaken, and took the staff from his grasp. Then he dropped the orb on the ground and hit it with the end point of the staff.

The next thing I knew the orb began to glow and rose up off of the ground. Then the orb's light grew dark and expanded in the air. What formed was a black portal. My bastard of a brother turned to me and let a small smirk cross his face. "Inuyasha, since father had entrusted you with his tomb, perhaps you would be interested in visiting it." He said and turned to enter the portal. Jaken stumbled after him into the black, floating void. I growled after him when I felt a sting on my neck. I slapped the spot that was stung and found a flea floating down to my hand.

"Myoga" I said, not really having time for a lecture right now.

"Master Inuyasha, you must go after Lord Sesshoumaru!" the tiny flea said as he popped back into his original plump form.

"Keh, that's where I was going in the first place. I need to beat that bastard for destroying my eye!" I told the flea who had hopped to my shoulder. Though my eye would grow back, thanks to my demon blood. "Kagome, stay here while I…" I began to say as I turned to glare at the girl to reiterate my point. Only to find she wasn't there.

I looked back at the black portal and saw her stepping into the void. "Well, come on!" she yelled at me and went through the void. Without a weapon, I might add.

I jumped after her into the void and found myself flying through a path made of black and red light. Ahead of me was Kagome, wearing her shirt and 'swet pants' floating just as I was. "Oi! You know that Sesshoumaru is there right? He could easily kill you" I told her once I had caught up with her.

"Yeah, and so could you, besides he tried to kill me for no reason and I want to give him a piece of my mind" she said stubbornly. She is going to be a huge handful for the rest of our journey, I just know it. "Who is he anyways?" she asked me.

Though it was Myoga who answered her back, "He is Lord Sesshoumaru of the western lands, and lord Inuyasha's older brother."

"Half" I snarled at Myoga's answer. 'As far as there being no reason… that is another story' I thought to myself.

"He is you brother?" she asked incredulously as a light appeared in the distance.

"Half-brother." I growled as we neared the light, which I could only assume was the exit.

"He acts like he has a stick stuck up his ass. If he and my friend Kara ever met, they would probably kill each other. Though Kara is only human, so she would probably be the one to die." She said, getting off track as she continued to talk; more to herself than to me. Although I had to agree with her when she said that he has a stick stuck up his ass.

"Keh" was the only response I gave her as we reached the end of the strange pathway, which reminded me vaguely of the well, and into a foggy space with mountains and a clouded sky. In the distance was a gigantic dog demon skeleton clad in ancient armor. Then we were falling through the air.

Kagome only let out a small shriek as we plummeted through the fog, only to land on a hard bony body of some type of bird. This thing was ugly, but it was transportation. Unlike my brother I couldn't fly and neither could Kagome. At least I don't think Kagome could fly… maybe I should test it?

"I don't know what you are thinking, but don't even think of acting on that thought" she said unamusedly as she glared at me. "We have bigger things to worry about. Not only that, but who the hell is THAT?" she shrieked at me as we neared my father's skeleton.

"That, lady, is Master Inuyasha's father." Myoga said.

"How is that his father?" she asked while jabbing a thumb in my direction.

I growled annoyed in the back of my throat at the girl next to me. Whereas Myoga decided to explain to her why my father's bones were so big. "Lady…" he trailed off, silently asking for her name.

"Kagome, and you are?" she asked Myoga.

"Myoga, Lady Kagome, as I was about to explain. Inuyasha's father was a demon of great standing in his life. Hence his skeleton, or grave, shows that magnificence even in death." Myoga explained and Kagome just nodded as we entered my father's fanged mouth and then dove down to where Sesshoumaru was.


	38. Chapter 38: Tetsaiga

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 38: Tetsaiga

Inside of the tomb:

"Father. I have come for the great sword, which you have left behind." Sesshoumaru said as he looked at a gold alter with a katana sticking up from its center. "The phantom sword Tetsaiga" he said as he approached the alter. Sesshoumaru stretched out his right arm and grasped the hilt of the sword. As soon as his flesh encountered the weathered wrapping of the hilt sparks of energy arced off of it and burned his hand.

"Ah!" Jaken shrieked. 'Lord Sesshoumaru is unable to pull out the sword!' he thought to himself as Sesshoumaru studied his now glowing blue hand.

"Father was always ever so careful. He has placed a ward on the blade." He said with his cold face and voice.

"SESSHOUMARU!" Inuyasha shouted as soon as he saw his half-brother near the alter. Inuyasha lunged for Sesshoumaru and bared his claws ready to strike, but Sesshoumaru leapt out of the way with incredible speed. No one had seen the move, or at least saw it very well. He was fast, much faster than Inuyasha. And Sesshoumaru currently had the high ground.

Inuyasha's POV:

'Damn, he's fast!' I thought to myself.

"Master Inuyasha! Master Inuyasha! Look! Look behind you!" Myoga shouted at me. I looked behind me and saw an ornate alter with a rusty old sword sticking out of it in the center. I walked up to the sword and looked it up and down.

"What the hell is this?" I asked the flea on my shoulder.

"That is the legendary sword left to you by your father. The phantom sword made from your father's fang, Tetsaiga" Myoga said to me. "And you Lord Sesshoumaru," he started and the bastard glanced at us with narrowed eyes. "You couldn't pull it out, could you?" he asked and my ass of a brother never said anything. So instead he just narrowed his eyes some more.

After an awkward amount of time with me glaring at the rusty piece of junk on the alter. The alter would probably be more of a weapon than the sword. After glaring at the sword and my brother glaring at me, the bastard decided to speak up, "You believe Inuyasha is able to do so?" he asked with his cold voice.

"Ah… well… yes… that is why he was entrusted with the tomb in the first place… right" Myoga said and then retreated back into my mass of hair. The way he said it was not comforting, not at all.

"Keh, like I would need this piece of junk to kick your stuck up ass!" I shouted and launched myself at my half-brother. I missed and turned around just in time to get wrapped in his tail. 'Now I know it is as fluffy as it looks' I absently thought to myself as I was brought closer to my half-brother.

"Do not presume that you, a half breed, are able to defeat me" he said icily and then whipped me from his tail's hold and into the ribs of my father's grave. I hit the bone and it shattered from the impact. I raised my arm up in just enough time to deflect his energy whip. Though, I was only able to deflect the whip a few more times before ii was thrown off balance and across the bony floor towards the alter.

"Master Inuyasha you must get the sword! You cannot fight unarmed!" Myoga said, while hopping up and down on my shoulder.

"Keh, I don't need a rusty piece of junk like that. My claws are enough for this bastard!" I said and flexed my claws as I smirked and showed my fangs in the process.

"Ughh! Inuyasha, stop being stupid and use the damn sword!" Kagome shouted from up on one of the ribs, for once staying away from danger.

"What!" I yelled.

She audibly sighed and steeled me with her gaze, it said 'listen the first time, stupid', "Grab the sword, Sesshoumaru wasn't able to do it. If you can't land a hit in"

"Hey!" I yelled at her. I could land a hit, I was just… warming up.

"Whatever, but pull out the sword and you wound his pride. If that doesn't suite you then pull it out just so he can't have it. I am practically begging you to be immature here" she yelled at me, sarcasm woven heavily in her speech.

"Keh, whatever" I said as I hopped up on the alter and grasped the sword's hilt. Behind me I heard that shrill, annoying toad say something about me being immune to some spell. I could also feel Sesshoumaru's disapproving gaze boring into my back. I took a breath and pulled with all of my strength to dislodge the sword from its resting place.


	39. Chapter 39: Mind Filter

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I never have. I don't even have a plushy. :(

Chapter 39: Mind Filter

I grasped the sword and pulled with all of my strength against the sword. A light surrounded the sword as I continued to pull at the sword. It became brighter and brighter the longer I pulled at it. Then after a large burst of light… nothing happened. The sword was stuck in the alter, my hand was still in place and my bastard of a half-brother was still miffed. "Oi" I said to Myoga, who was currently sweating and beginning to retreat. I caught him in-between my clawed fingers before he could escape. "I couldn't pull the sword out could I?" I asked the flea I was seriously considering smashing right then.

"Ummm… It would seem not" Myoga managed to get out as I was continuing to squash him between my fingers.

"Really!" I exclaimed.

"Enough with the comedy act" Sesshoumaru said in his deep voice and leapt at me. I just managed to dodge away from as his claws came at me once more. I turned to run, but he was right next to me. I was no match for his speed. That I knew, but my strength was not to be ignored.

He attacked me with his claws and knocked me against the wall of our father's grave. Vaguyely I heard Kagome jump from her spot on the wall, where she would have been safe, and land in the bones of the floor.

Kagome's POV:

I saw Inuyasha be knocked against the ribs of the wall below me and then caught sight of the toad demon, or hob-goblin, or deformed thing, not entirely sure what he was, take his staff and aim it at Inuyasha. "Kagome, you have to stop the staff from beign used. It can be dangerous" said a voice beside my ear. I recognised the voice as belonging to Myoga and decided that I should at least try to stop the toad. I reached for my dagger behind my back; only to find it wasn't there. 'Crap' I thought to myself as I knew what I had to do. The bones on the floor were great for decoration, but I had the feeling that they would hurt once under my feet. I jumped from my spot on the wall and aimed for the only place that was not made of bones.

"Ooff" the toad thing exclaimed as I landed on his back with perfect form. I hopped away from him now that I had his attention and it was away from Inuyasha, who wasn't doing so well. "You filthy wench!" he screeched, which hurt my ears. I wasn't sure how the daiyoukai managed to put up with it if I had trouble.

He picked up his staff and aimed it at me this time, "Di…" he started to yell when I decided that I had heard enough of his speech and stepped on him again. I looked down at him as he was sprawled on the floor with a raised brow. I knew my face had a 'what can you do tiny?' look to it. That look didn't stay on my face long because every instinct I had told me to dodge. And dodge I did.

I Ducked away from the toad just in time for a blast of fire to engulf the place where I once stood. 'That was close' I mentally sighed. I realized that this was what Myoga was talking about with the staff. Speaking of Myoga, he is nowhere to be found. 'Coward' I thought to myself.

I turned my attention back at the toad as he aimed the staff at me once more, now that he was off the ground. My eyes went wide and I let loose a small shriek as I ran to the only safety I could find. The alter.

As I was running I heard Inuyasha call my name and heard him collide with another part of the wall. I looked back at him long enough to see the glowing green of the daiyoukai's claws and Inuyasha narrowly dodge the attack. I turned my attention back to where I was running and dove behind the alter just as the flames blasted by beside me.

I looked back to the battle and saw that Inuyasha was now in his half-brother's grasp. The daiyoukai's claws in his stomach and his hand glowing an eerie green once more. He shoved Inuyasha to the ground and flexed his claws before he started to strike.

The only thought in my mind was that I had to protect him. To do that I needed a weapon, and one was right in front of me. I grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it with me as I ran to his aide yelling his name. I didn't think that the sword shouldn't come loose with me weilding it, or the fact that me pulling the sword out to defend my frienemy, quickly becoming a friend, would be so important in the long run.

No the only thing I thought was to help Inuyasha; that was until I heard the sliding of metal and the ring of it coming loose from its resting place. That and the surprised gasp from the toad and the halting of Sesshoumaru's hand from frying Inuyasha's face. I didn't fully realize what I had done until I saw the shocked look on Inuyasha's face and angry eyes of the daiyoukai.

Suddenly my mind, seemingly having a mind of its own, and my mouth not having a filter made a connection between this legendary sword and another legendary sword from England. "So does this mean I am the rightful King?" I asked out loud. Sometimes I wish I thought before I talked.


	40. Chapter 40: Innocent

Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine.

Chapter 40: Innocent

I was shocked that the wench was able to pull out the sword that both the bastard and I had failed at doing. Then I was brought back to reality by her lunacy when she asked if she would be King. She can't be king, a king is a male, plus the sword proves nothing if the person has no idea how to use it. And if wielding a sword meant that one was a king then there are a lot of unrecognized kings out in the world. Though with her, I wouldn't doubt that she knew how to wield one. I quickly looked to Sesshoumaru, whose claws were still imbedded in my stomach, to see his anger shone in his eyes as he narrowed them at Kagome.

The next thing I knew he was across the room, if you could call it that, and standing in front of Kagome. I had to stop him. She wasn't human, but she was still weaker than me. She would die by his hands. All because she could do something that he couldn't. That was just how he thought. Get rid of any and all who had harmed his precious pride. Which is why he was so intent on killing me. I had dishonored him by simply being born and staying alive.

"Sesshoumaru! Leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this, she is only human!" I yelled at him. Everything the truth, except for the human part. I really hope he won't catch that and just assume she was a crazy human. A crazy and powerful human.

He turned to face me and away from Kagome, who was holding the sword firmly out in front of her with a stance to defend herself. Yep, she knows how to wield a sword. "Little brother, you as well as I know that she is no mere mortal. She is far more than she seems, but she must pay for the insult she has made and take the punishment she has incurred." He said to me while taking his hand leisurely up to his face. He brushed his fingers back into his long hair behind his pointed ear.

"Sesshoumaru, she has nothing to do with this. This is between you and me." I told him as I bared my fangs.

He turned back to Kagome, whose face was determined and unafraid. 'Brother you have no idea who she is. She is a lost race who has a destiny neither of us may predict' Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he looked at the girl in front of him with concealed curiosity. It had been a long time since he had seen someone from that race. It had been a long time since any had seen one from that race.

"Little brother, you wish to protect her, care for her and even dare to have feelings towards her. She is not human, as you had previously stated, but neither is she a demon. She is something in-between. A filthy excuse for a being and a disgrace to whatever race she belongs to. She will die for simply being such a disgrace to this world and for what she has interfered in." he said as he pulled his hand through his hair. Then he shifted his hand to his front and faced the palm open facing Kagome.

Before I had time to react his poison was shooting from his claws and towards Kagome. I watched as she tried to defend herself with the sword, but failed. I watched as she sank to the floor while trying to utter a broken 'help' in my direction. I watched until there was nothing left, but a pile of melted gunk standing in the place of where Kagome once was. I watched that spot hoping that she would get up, none the worse for wear. I was hoping that she wouldn't leave me alone. I was hoping that I hadn't failed in protecting her, like I had promised.

I was brought back by the voice of the bastard who had done that to Kagome. "Such delicate creatures, half breeds." He said it with no emotion and a cold face. How he was able to do so was something I would never comprehend. How he could kill someone for just trying to protect someone else.

She was trying to protect me when she pulled the sword out. Yet I had failed to protect her in return. I may have failed to protect her, but I will avenge her. "Sesshoumaru! You bastard!" I yelled as I rushed after my half-brother. I reached with my claws and extended the slash with my youki so that it would hit.

I hit his armor with my attack and managed to shatter it. It fell in pieces as we both landed on the ground. As soon as I hit the ground I rushed after him again. I dug my claws into the palm of my hand and yelled, "**Hijin Kessō"**. They had only managed to graze him, but I had used them as more of a distraction in order to get closer to him and attack. He saw through my plan and attacked me with his whip. I dodged it and let loose my sankon tessou and managed to scrape what was left of his armor and graze his face.

I heard the toad screaming in the background about me managing to get a hit in on my bastard of a half-brother. I didn't care. All I cared about was carving my claws into his face and retching out his still beating heart, if he even had one. He deserved to die for taking innocent life so coldly. He deserved to die for killing Kagome. All she had done was try to help me and be born.

Avenging her wouldn't bring her back, but it would allow me to sleep much better at night.


	41. Chapter 41: Disgrace

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 41: Disgrace

All I saw was darkness and all I smelled was… well whatever it was is rancid. I don't know where I am, but I know that I have to get out so that I can at least breathe. I pushed up with my arms and the sword still in my hand until I was out of… whatever I was in. I am sooo going to take a bath or shower after this because this is disgusting.

I finally managed to pull myself up into clean, or relatively clean, air and I took a deep breath. I opened my eyes and saw that there was a battle going on between the two dog demons and if the look on Inuyasha's face was anything to go by, he was pissed. About what I wasn't sure, but the damn toad thing was about to try the staff again. Did he not realize that that wasn't a good idea?

I rested the sword on my shoulder and waltzed up behind the toad, who was enthralled in the battle that was raging on in front of us. I took the sword off of my shoulder and lined the flat part of the blade with his back. I took the sword back just behind me and swung forward with as much force as I could manage and yelled, "FOUR!"

The toad screamed as he flew across the room and hit the opposite wall. I had to keep myself from laughing hysterically as he slid down the wall right next to the fighting youkai. Which I might add gathered said youkai's attention. Well hanyou and youkai. Sesshoumaru looked unemotional, while Inuyasha looked relieved and… angry.

Inuyasha leapt up into the air and then landed right in front of me with the same expression he held on the other side of the room. "Okay did I miss something?" I asked and he just 'kehed' like he always does before he actually spoke real words.

Inuyasha's POV:

As I was trading blows with my half-brother I heard the voice of Kagome scream 'four'. At first I thought I was hearing things, but then I saw Jaken fly face first into the wall. I would have laughed if wasn't so stunned at the fact that Kagome was actually alive. She is alive. 'Wait how is she alive?' I had to ask myself as I left the fight with my half-brother to go over to Kagome and make sure she was alright.

Once I was in front of her she asked another stupid question, "Okay, did I miss something?"

"Keh" I said to her with a small smirk on my face. To be truthful I was so happy that she was alright, but angry with myself and at her for scaring me. "Why are you alive?" I asked her bluntly. Probably wasn't the right thing to ask.

BAM!

Nope not the right question to ask because now I had Kagome looking at me with a 'you really just asked that' look on her face. Not to mention the blunt end of the sword she still had in her hand sitting on top of my head. "Did you have to hit me?" I asked her with an annoyed look on my face. I'm now done being worried about her. So far experience tells me that she is either cursed or blessed by the kami, which means that she isn't gonna die any time soon. I'm just an extra insurance.

"If you didn't want me to, then don't ask a stupid question. By the way, shouldn't we be focusing on something besides getting under each other's skin?" she asked me. Right in the middle of a battle with my ass of a half-brother.

"Enough comedy." Said the very same bastard as he charged at us with his poison claws. I grabbed Kagome and dodged away from his attack and landed across the room.

"Stay here." I said to her in a tone that offered no debate.

"Inuyasha" she started to say but I cut her off.

"Don't argue with me Kagome!" I yelled at her as I grabbed her and dodged another attack.

"Listen to me, damn it! Take the damn sword! If it protected me then it is not completely useless" she yelled back as she shoved the sword into my hands. She has a good point.

I took the sword and kehhed to her after I pushed her behind me. No way was I going to give the bastard a second shot at taking her life, no matter what the kami thought. I took the sword and brought in front of me and grasped it with both hands. I took a steady stance and faced my bastard of a half-brother. This wasn't just a fight for my life it was a battle of survival because he wasn't planning on letting me ever leave this place of the dead. He was planning on only allowing one of us making it out of here alive and he didn't want it to be me.

Sesshoumaru's POV:

I watched as my little brother brought the sword that my father left him to his front and face me. For even if he was a disgusting disgrace he was not unintelligent. He knew I am not planning to allow him to live and exit this tomb. 'How fitting, dying in Father's tomb even when he never knew him, yet he is far more akin to Father than I.'

I suppressed the smirk, which seemed to run in my family, behind my always stoic face. Father requested me to test my little brother, but I would never allow any test to be easy. Especially when the tetsaiga is rightfully mine. The sword has yet to choose a master and until it does it is as rightfully mine as it is Inuyasha's.

Then there is the predicament with that girl being alive. Her race was wiped from this plane of existence long ago. I saw to that. I was the one who killed the last of their race fifteen years ago, I never would have imagined I would ever see one again, even if she only has a quarter of that race's blood flowing through her veins. She is still powerful and holds the power that only her race was able to master and perfect. Their race is the reason Midoriko was such a powerful miko. She was able to purify the souls of the demons she slayed instead of their bodies, as the monks and other mikos are able to do. She is… unexpected and will make things much more difficult.

I refocused at my task at hand. Taking back the sword that is rightfully mine. To do any and all to obtain it. Even to kill my only living remnant of my great Father.


	42. Chapter 42: Guard

Do I really have to say that don't own Inuyasha again? Because I don't.

Chapter 42: Guard

I held the sword in front of me preparing for the inevitable attack from my half-brother. Though something felt different this time. The air held a different pressure and seemed to drop in temperature. Then there was the wind. It started slowly, but quickly picked up speed and seemed to swirl around him. Then his eyes started to turn red. It started from the corner of his eyes then made its way to the golden iris. Only for a second were his narrowed irises surrounded by an eerie blood red before the irises themselves changed from gold into a teal color. The marks on his cheeks merged as his mouth elongated and his teeth sharpened to points. His skin grew paler and paler until it was as white as his hair. 'Shit' I thought to myself as I stood my ground. Suddenly the wind picked up even more and the skulls that were once on the ground are now flying through the air. The air and skulls surrounded him and then formed a wall of ominous wind then shot up and rebounded off of the walls so fast that it was a blur.

When he landed again skulls and a large gust of wind rushed towards both Kagome and me. What lied in the wake of the wind and bones was an enormous, white, demonic dog. Or my half-brother transformed into his true form.

"Holy shit. We're screwed. Where's Myoga?" Kagome asked me from behind as she clutched her hand to my haori. I don't know when she did at first, but now I could feel the tension from her fingers straining against the fabric. I could tell that she was afraid, I didn't need my nose to tell me that. I could hear it in the sound of her voice and the strength of her fingers pulling my haori.

"That damn flea probably took off. The coward." I said under my breath. I glanced back at Kagome then back at my snarling bastard of a brother. "Kagome, when there is an opening I want you to climb to the top." I said in a low growl as I held the blood red glower of my half-brother.

"Oh, hell no. I am not leaving you down here with Fu-fu over there" she whispered harshly. "That is like horror movie 101, NEVER split up or one of us is going to die and I don't feel like being a chew toy!" she continued.

"Wench! Don't argue with me. We don't have the time" I said to her as I tightened my hands around the hilt of the sword. I kept my eyes on the bastard in front of me as he growled and snarled with a sharp fanged mouth. He started to circle us like the deadly predator that he is and each time his paw came back to the ground, it sent vibrations across the floor.

"I don't car…" she started to yell when he pounced on us. I grabbed her, because she seems to have a dodging problem, and quickly got out of the way and to a relatively safe place.

"Just do it!" I yelled at her once we landed. Then I decided that I was done arguing with her and went on the offensive.

Kagome's POV:

I watched as Inuyasha gripped the sword tighter and leapt to attack his demon brother. He brandished the sword and swung in a long arc across his face, and he bounced off. The sword had no effect on the demon who was taking up most of the space inside of the skeleton. Not only that, but he left me in the middle of us having an argument. Granted, he did save my life, again.

"Lady Kagome, you should do as Master Inuyasha instructed. It is not safe here. Master Inuyasha will be fine on his own now that he has the sword." Said a small squeaky voice by my ear.

"Myoga? I thought that we lost you. Where were you?" I asked the tiny flea demon on my shoulder.

"Err… well… that isn't important right now, what is important is that you get to safety" he said quickly. Then I noticed that the flea was right. Inuyasha was fighting his brother for, not only his safety, but the safety of all of us. He was fighting and distracting Sesshoumaru so that we all could live.

I gulped in a breath of air and started to climb the ribbed wall. I decided that it was a good idea to climb the wall while they were battling. I continued to climb up the wall, all the while keeping an eye on the battle to ensure that Inuyasha was safe. Not that I like-like him, but he is starting to be a great friend to me and he always protects me here in this time. Not only that, but he is strong, courageous and has a good heart, if nothing else then for that reason I want him to win.

I watched them fight as I climbed higher. Inuyasha uselessly attacking with the blade that seemed to have no effect and Sesshoumaru gnashing his fangs and swiping his incredibly large clawed paws at Inuyasha. I could tell that Inuyasha was bleeding because there were red scratches on his face and there were patches of deeper red on his haori and hakama. He was losing the battle and there was nothing I could do about it. I watched as Sesshoumaru raked a glowing green, clawed paw across Inuyasha's front knocking him to the ground and his sword from his grasp. I watched in horror as he didn't get back up after he flew from his previous spot on the skulled floor.

"Inuyasha!" I screamed from my point high up on the wall. I heard Myoga stammering something about being quiet and leaving, but I didn't care as I continued to stare at the unmoving hanyou on the ground. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and fell from the wall right before the jaws of the large demonic dog crushed the bones where I once was.

I landed hard on the ground that was far below me and luckily I didn't break anything, but it did knock the wind out of me and I gasped for breath as I tried to regain my bearings. I turned and ran as fast I could to Inuyasha and avoided Sesshoumaru as best as I could. Though I wasn't fast enough and within a few seconds he was trying to crush me with his paws. I held my hands up in defense and, without me knowing how, a bright blue light came from my palms and created a blast of energy that burned his flesh.

Sesshoumaru roared in pain and leaped back to the other side of the room. He glowered at me and paced back and forth, treading carefully on the bones beneath his singed paws. He wasn't a large stupid beast, he was smart in this form as well. I could tell because he was pacing back and forth, stalking me. He was waiting for me to make a mistake, to create an opening because whatever I did before he didn't want it to happen again.

I knew that he was waiting for me to make a bad move, but I had to get to Inuyasha and bring his sword to him as well. I had this feeling that it would come in handy eventually, but I wish it would have sooner. Luckily the sword was a little ways away from me to my left, the way I had to go to get to Inuyasha. As I moved along the wall I kept my eyes on the dog demon, never breaking eye contact. I held the sword out in front of me, hoping that it would be an extra deterrent, but I figured it wouldn't. Still better safe than sorry.

After what seemed like years, but was only about a minute, I finally reached Inuyasha. I poked him with his sword to make sure that he is alive. When he groaned I let a breath that I didn't know I was holding go. Then I bent down and put the sword in near his hand. I looked over his face and saw that there were indeed more scratches than I thought there were, but they weren't nearly as bad as I had feared. I let out a silent breath, but I sucked it back in as I heard the sound of large paws rushing towards me and Inuyasha. I let my guard down.


	43. Chapter 43: Transform

Disclaimed...

Chapter 43: Transform

I stood up as fast as I could and turned around, well I started to turn around. I never saw the strike coming. His large paw hit me on my back and my side. It sent me through the air, but not before his poison claws gouged my back. It sent me flying through the air and I crashed into a wall. I slumped to the ground and my vision got blurry. The last thing I saw was the large dog youkai stalking towards me. Then everything went black.

Inuyasha's POV:

All I could see was darkness, but I could hear a muffled voice and feel someone's hands on me. I wondered where I was, then I remembered. I remembered the fight, the sword and Kagome. Kagome… she has to be the one who is checking me. I opened my eyes, only to be met with a flash of color, then a large white streak. What truly woke me up was the loud pained scream, but that wasn't what got me to my feet. What had me to my feet in less than a second was the abrupt stop to the scream and the unsettling crunch that immediately followed.

I stood up and saw that Sesshoumaru was stalking towards Kagome, who was unmoving on the ground. I took a step to run to her when the sword that layed on the ground caught my eye. I figured that it would be useless so I prepared to leave it there on the ground, but then it… pulsed. It was like it was calling to me. I knew I didn't have time to argue, so I quickly grabbed the sword and ran to where Kagome was.

I kept glancing between Sesshoumaru and Kagome as I ran to put myself between the bastard and her. I watched as the bastard leaned his head down to smell Kagome. He snarled in disgust and took his white head away from her and bared his fanged mouth in her direction. I kept running, but it felt like it was taking forever. I just knew that I had to protect her; that was the one thing that I had to do.

I felt the sword in my grasp pulse again and again, until it was in time with my heart beat. It was like it was an extension of myself. I saw the bastard raise a paw in the air. I was almost to her, almost there.

Then he swung the paw down preparing to make the final blow, but I was somehow faster. I got in front of her and turned to leap up at my half-brother. I brandished the sword as I leapt in the air and aimed at the arm that was coming to end our lives.

And the sword cut.

It cut like a finely sharpened knife through a cooked noodle.

I dragged the sword up his arm, through the tendons, muscle and bone. Then I pushed it to one side and followed through to the other. When I landed on the ground so did his left arm. I looked up to see the bastard's furious gaze, then I looked to my sword. It was long and a gleaming steel. It had fur at the hilt, with worn leather binding the shaft. It looked like a fang.

"Master Inuyasha! This is the phantom sword, Tetsaiga. It was forged from your father's fang long ago and is your inheritance!" Myoga shouted from my shoulder. Funny, if he is here then that means that I have a good chance of winning.

"Myoga, I thought you left a long time ago." I said to him as the bastard roared and gnashes his teeth at me and I kept guard on Kagome. He was bleeding very badly, but his pride was as big as my arrogance. He would never admit to defeat and would fight so long as he had a chance. And he has a chance. With Kagome and myself injured we will be lucky to make it out of here and back to camp in one piece. Damn I hope we are lucky.

"Umm… well… you see…" Myoga started, but I interrupted him mid-explanation.

"Save it. I need to get Kagome to safety, before morning breath decides to try and kill her again." I snapped at Myoga as I turned around and grabbed Kagome off of the floor. I hoisted her up onto my shoulder and grasped her hard as I launched up off of the floor and away from that bastard who I am related to. I jumped from rib to rib until I was in the mouth of the gargantuan skeleton. I jumped one more time until I was on one of the shoulder plates of armor. I set her down gently on the ancient armor and that was when I smelled it. I smelled her blood. It was something I couldn't get enough of, yet it made me sick at the same time. I never wanted to smell it again. I never wanted her to get hurt again, which is why I said I would protect her. I failed.

I pulled my hand out from under back and found that her blood covered it, as if it was my fault. I hated that I wasn't able to keep her safe, but she is alive. That I am thankful for. "Inuyasha?" I heard Kagome ask me in a groggy voice. I was about to respond when her eyes lit up and she threw her hands around me. "I thought you were going to die!" she shouted in my ear. "I was so worried" she said quieter as she clutched me.

"Uh? Kagome, what are you doing?" I asked in concern and curiosity. What had I done to deserve this affection?

She pulled away from me and glowered at me. I will never understand women. "What am I doing I am hugging you because I was worried. Why, should I not have?" she asked in an annoyed voice.

"No that's not… wait… you were worried about me?" I asked her.

"No I was worried about dog breath. Yes I was worried about you!" she shouted at me. I was about to shout back when she asked an unsettling question, "Wait, where is he?" That was not something that I should have overlooked. Damn.

"So you have noticed the obvious" stated a cold voice behind us. We both turned to look and there stood my bastard of a half-brother in his humanoid form. Kagome and I shot to our feet to defend ourselves the best that we could. He was still bleeding from his arm and his kimono was being dyed a deep red. Far more dark than the red hexagons and flowers that adorned his shoulders and the edges of his sleeves. His eyes were ice cold and malicious, he had every intention of killing us both.

"Keh. You should be careful _Sesshoumaru_, you are getting your robes dirty" I sneered at him and he narrowed his eyes at me and Kagome.

"No, _little brother_, it is you whom should tread lightly, or better yet… not at all" he said as the wind ripped around him, but this time it was different. This time it wasn't drawing into him it was originating from him; then spreading outward.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said behind me in a quiet question.

I tightened my grip around my still transformed sword and held in front of me in defense. I watched as the wind continued to originate from the bastard, then it changed color. It changed from the white almost colorless form of the wind to a pale, sickly green color. It followed the wind and slowly crept from my half-brother like rolling fog.

It was poison, and it would kill us.


	44. Chapter 44: The Wind

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter 44: The Wind

It was poison. His body was emitting a poison gas and Inuyasha and I had nowhere to go. We were on the shoulder guard of his father's armor facing his half-brother and in a different dimension. If we didn't find a way to disperse the poison we would die. Which I might add, was not on my 'to-do' list today. "Inuyasha, we have to do something" I said to him from behind his back as he clutched his sword tighter.

"I know" he growled at me through clenched teeth. He knew, as well as I did, that we couldn't run. We didn't have the energy or the strength. I just regained consciousness and Inuyasha was struggling to breathe evenly. The fight with his half-brother took a lot out of him and he was still bleeding from it. He had scrapes and lacerations across his legs and arms. I wasn't able to see the damage that was done to his front, but I assumed that it was serious since drops of blood were forming a small puddle in the cracks of the armor at our feet. Though I wasn't much better. My wound on my back was burning and I could feel the blood running down my back, not to mention that my shirt was just barely hanging on my shoulders. We are in trouble, but at least neither of us was missing an arm.

Even if we did win this fight, I don't think we will make it back to the feudal era. Yet if we didn't make it back, then I wouldn't have to face what happened and the pain that will come with it. If I could, I would never talk about it. I don't know the next time I would be able to sleep, if ever. Even if he asked, I would never tell Inuyasha about it. Unless of course I had no choice.

I turned my attention from my thoughts about the dream I had to the present time. With every second that passed the green, poisonous fog drew closer and stronger. It drew closer and closer to us, but we had nowhere to run and no way to combat it.

"Kagome" Inuyasha started, "Stay behind me and don't do anything stupid" he told me in a commanding voice. I didn't even have to think about a retort, I had absolutely no complaints.

Inuyasha's POV:

As soon as I saw the poison seeping out of the bastard's body and creeping closer to us I knew I had to do something. We couldn't run and I knew that Kagome had no idea what to do. If I didn't do something then we would both die here. That I had no intention of happening. I quickly scented the air to gage how Kagome was holding up. I didn't like what I smelled, I didn't like it at all. Her naturally alluring scent was marred by fear, apprehension and the iron scent of blood.

I gritted my teeth in anger. Anger at my half-brother for needlessly hurting people, for hurting Kagome. Anger at myself for beign unable to protect someone I swore to protect. I want to protect her with every fiber of my being, she didn't deserve to die here. Yet I was unable to protect her from a fog with a sword. I can't protect her with my claws and fangs. Right now I am useless, just as she is in this situation.

'Damnit! How am I supposed to keep my promise?' I asked myself. Then Tetsaiga pulsed. This time was different from before, it was stronger. The wind around us started to turn and wrap us in an almost secure and protective wall of wind. It was comforting.

"Kagome" I said. I didn't know what was happening, but if it was going to get us out of this situation, then I am sure as hell going to try. "Stay behind me and don't do anything stupid." I said to her in a voice that I hoped sounded commanding and left no room for questions.

The pulsing continued and grew stronger with every moment that passed. I felt power flowing through the blade and through myself. I turned my attention back to the quickly approaching deadly fog. The cloud of poison grew more ominous and darker as it crept towards us. I heard my bastard of a brother whisper die just before the cloud of deadly gas surrounded us.

I swung the transformed sword in a large arc and the power that was pushed from the blade blasted the cloud of gas away from us, but the power that was released continued on towards my half-brother. The light that had shot out of my sword continued on to my bastard of a brother. Just before he was consumed by the light his eyes widened in disbelief at what was occurring. That was the last thing I saw of my half-brother before the bright yellow light converged on him and consumed him. The last thing that I saw before the light disappeared was another bright blue light, but it disappeared almost as soon as I saw it. The only thing left in the wake of the light were scars in the armor, which we are standing on. The scars were from the path that the light carved out as I raced to where my half-brother once stood.

Anyone would assume that the bastard would be dead, but I had a sinking feeling that he wasn't and that he would be back. 'Great, that is the last thing that I need' I thought to myself as I stuck my sword into the armor and then went down to one knee in my fatigue.

"Heh heh heh, thanks Old Man, this sword did come in handy" I huffed, feeling just how tired I actually was. Some of the wounds I suffered were still bleeding and the poison was still being eradicated from my system.

"No kidding" I looked over to Kagome who had just spoken. "What the hell kind of sword is that?" she asked me and flashed her one of my smirks.

"Well it's a demonic sword" I told her as I continued to smirk at her. She gave me a look that screamed 'no shit'. "Besides it's my sword now and that's all that matters."

"Alright Mr. Big shot, then answer me this: How in the blazes are we going to get out of here?" she asked me while crossing her arms in front of her.

Just then I felt a prick in my neck and a loud sucking sound followed directly afterwards. I slapped the offender and what floated down into my hand was Myoga. "Perhaps I can be of assistance in that matter" he said after he popped back into his original form. He pointed to a boned bird was perched nearby.

"Myoga! You didn't abandon us right?" I asked the flea in an uncharacteristically sweet tone. I already knew the answer to my question, but I enjoyed making the old flea squirm.

"I did?... Erm… well… Okay did run, but it was purely on natural instinct!" he cried in the palm of my hand. Then I crushed him.

"Inuyasha ! That was rude" shouted the wench, right in my ear.

"Oi! Wench, watch the volume!" I shouted back at her.

"Hey! Don't call me that!" She shouted at me, again. "You seriously need to learnn some manners. Yes Myoga is a coward and he did run, but he came back with a way for ust to get back to your era" she said while swinging her arm from the pointing at me to pointing at the bird which squawked from its perch. Then the wench let out a small hiss of pain and grabbed her right shoulder.

"Oi, ya okay?" I asked her as I put the now untransformed sword into my obi and stood to get a better look at the wounds she had sustained. I placed a hand on her other shoulder in an attempt to keep her in place.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she lied. In fact I could smell her lying, but I could also smell fresh blood. Though what I couldn't smell was any scent or trace of poison. Which was weird.

"No you're not okay. You are bleeding" I started to say as she tried to get away from me by batting my hand off of her shoulder. "Wench" I growled, "stop being so difficult and com here."

"Don't call me that! And I said I was fine. It's healing, so there is nothing to worry about" she shouted at me. "Besides your wounds are far worse than mine and they are still bleeding." She said to me and she was right. I was still bleeding, but I wanted to check the damage myself and make sure everything was okay with her.

"Damnit wench, at least let me look" I said to her as I grabbed her shoulder and spun her around so that I could look at her back. I didn't like what I saw. There were four long slashes from her right shoulder to her left hip. Her shirt was in pieces and strips were stuck in the wet and drying blood on her back and in her wounds. Yet there was only blood and the shredded cloth on her back. There was no sign of poison, which I was grateful for.

"It's not as bad as it looks" she said under her breath.

"Good because it looks really bad" I told her in a slightly joking manner.

"Well take a look at yourself, buddy" she said to me as she turned around to face me and motioned with her hand towards me. I looked down at myself and noticed that she was right, I looked bad. I looked beaten and bruised all over my body.

"Keh, I'll heal within a day" I said to her with a smirk on my face.

"Fine, but we still need to get back and clean our wounds. Which means you are going to have to wash my back" she informed me.

"Alright fine, let's just get… Wait. What?" I asked looking back at her in disbelief. 'She wants me to wash her back?!'

**Somewhere in Japan, Mystery POV** (you won't know who this is, but guesses are welcome ;D)

It was raining, which is perfect because any trace of my presence I swashed away. My scent, tracks and it even dulls my aura, though I am able to completely conceal it like the others of my race. I keep to the shadows in the trees because I have none of my own. I am a member of the, let's just say the 'shadow demon' race. Though my race was once called by a different name. A name that was lost to all after the civil war long ago. Before it was split between the shadows and the light. But, that was a long time ago.

I walked through the forest enjoying the rain shower. The rain fell from the sky just enough to soak the earth it fell upon, but not enough to be called a down pour. The temperature had dropped as the rain fell and because of the waning hours of the day. It was pleasant and peaceful.

That was, until I encountered the Lord of the West. Sesshoumaru. Inu no Taisho's son. The son of the demon who brought me back to the land of the living. The demon who killed my sister.

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A/N: Thank you so much Melody Monster! I didn't realize I had pasted the same chapter twice.


	45. Chapter 44: exta chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot, characters and Kagome's new personality.

Update news: I will try to update at least once a week.

Question: Is there enough mystery, humor, and seriousness in this fic?

By the way the introducing Sesshoumaru arc, section, part or what have you is almost done. Guess what will happen next!

Who is the next canon character to be introduced?

This is a small insight into Kagome's 'dream'

Alright then! On with the story!

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Chapter 44.5

You know how in dreams nothing is real, or it like a fantastical world? That is not what this is. This world actually happened. It happened because a dream demon decided to rummage around in a dark and closed part of my mind and memories. Ones that I never wanted to see, or ever see again. Once I did, I couldn't stop the memories from flooding back, or the other side of me from coming out.

I don't know what scared me the most. The vivid and horrifying memories or the fact that the demon side of me wasn't as pure and beautiful I had believed it was.

For being a demon of light and purity, it was dark and malicious. Not like the blood thirsty demons of the world I am in, but it simply wanted to be out, in control, and get revenge. At first I didn't know what revenge it wanted, but then I found out. It wanted revenge on demons and humans alike for what had happened. What had happened both fifteen years ago and 500 years ago. Even if she couldn't get to all those who had done wrong. She just wanted out. That was what I first felt, but I still hadn't seen; or better yet remembered what had happened at those times.

Then I did.

It was horrible and terrifying.

Now every time I close my eyes to sleep I see those memories, because that is what they were; they weren't just dreams. Which is why they were so frightening.

They actually happened. The fires, the death, the fighting and the war. In the dark of the night I hear the screams of pain from that night fifteen years ago . Every time I close my eyes, I see my parents die a gruesome death and hear myself calling out for them. Even if I don't remember their faces or names I can hear them as they call to me to run away, or maybe it was someone else. Yet I know that I lived and they died.

Then I was shown what happened before my birth.

All I could see and hear was death and the voices of the dying. I watched as my race was cut down, carried off and mauled by the demons in the shadows. Each of them had red eyes, that seemed to glow with fire from hell or were the color of blood. It was a war.

I refused to think of it any longer. As it stands, what I remembered would haunt me for the rest of my life.

That is why I wish it was a sick and twisted dream.

I told Inuyasha I remembered nothing, but the truth was I remembered pieces and feelings.

I remember feeling rage, sorrow and a complete desire to kill.

I told him that I didn't remember anything. I didn't remember who I was facing or even the face. All I remember when I woke up were the feelings and the flashing of trees and light.

I didn't tell the truth because I didn't want it to be the truth. I didn't want him to know about the reality that I was thrust into. I didn't want him to know.

Because reality is much more terrifying than anything I could have dreamt.

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A/N: So this is just a random insight into what Kagome dreamt. What Inuyasha and Kagome were shown, because of the dream demon, were suppressed memories.

Also, when Kagome woke up and was attacking Sesshoumaru she was in a type of demonic form.

Just thought to give some insight. I will be posting extra chapters like this periodically throughout the series, but they won't be that often.

Thanks for reading and please review!


	46. Chapter 45: The Hill

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the characters from Inuyasha, but the story line and the OCs are mine.

Alright. I need some serious help. I need demons, they don't have to be Japanese, for this story.

The demons I will include in the story line from the original Inuyasha are: Naraku, Sesshoumaru, Urasuei, Goshinki, Magatstuhi, Ryukotusei, Shippo, Kirara, Kouga, and ... yep that is it so far. If I put Kagura and Kanna in they will either make an appearance at the very end or they will make a cameo appearance in the bonus chapters at the end.

The reason why I need demons is because otherwise I will end up skipping straight to the battle with Naraku after all of the introductions are made. Though by then there would probably be around 100 or more chapters soooo... Either way, please let me know of demons you want to see in here!

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Chapter 45: The Hill

At the portal made by the black pearl.

Kagome's POV:

Getting back through the portal wasn't all that hard, but climbing up a hill in the rain on tall slippery grass with wounds in order to get back to our abandoned camp, was. Though, Inuyasha had no problem climbing, or more like jumping, up the hill. Whereas I had plenty of trouble. My back was killing me and I kept sliding down the hill after I had gone just a little further than the last attempt at climbing. The rain that was falling from the sky was falling down into my open wounds. The same wounds that I made light of with Inuyasha and in turn pissed him off for Kami knows what reason.

Let me tell you, anything that goes into or rolls over an open wound hurts like hell. Honestly I don't like to complain, but I am this time. I am tired, cold, wet and bloody. Not to mention that I have to take out every piece of fabric from my wounds or they will get infected and I haven't taken a bath yet and smell like a steaming pile of decay. So yes I am in a bad mood and Inuyasha refusing to help me just makes it all the worse. So the conclusion is that I now hate pearls.

Why? Because if that damn pearl hadn't existed then we never would have gone to that realm to get the sword, I never would have been injured and Inuyasha wouldn't be in a pissy mood. Then again, we would have been dead because of his bastard of a brother. Then I really would have been ticked. So I change my mind and have decided to leave the jewelry alone and hate his older brother. Yep. I hate Sesshoumaru… he was hot though…

I looked up to the top of the hill only to find that I was only half way there. Great. I started to try to climb the hill once more and every move I made had my skin painfully stretching across my back. I could only pray that my, once favorite shirt, wasn't still in any of my wounds and that my wounds hadn't started to close and were only clotting instead. Though right now I had to climb up this damn hill and get back to camp before I was able to even wash my wounds properly. I just wish that Inuyasha wasn't so childish and would help me up the hill.

Just then an evil plan formed in my head, but I pushed to the back of my head because even I wasn't mean enough to initiate it when he was injured. No matter how funny it would be to see Inuyasha sliding down the hill face first, I couldn't do it now, but maybe at a later time. Later. So instead I opted to call out to him and swallow my pride in the process. In all honesty us being two head strong and stubborn people doesn't really bode well in the getting along category. "Inuyasha" I shouted up the hill. My voice sounded like a whiny two year old, but if it got him to do what I wanted then bring out the two year old. Now I just have to apologize… I hate being the mature one.

Somewhere in the future with her friend Aya:

"Hahaha!" laughed Aya.

"What?" Tora asked as he brought drinks to their table at Wacdonalds.

"I don't know why, but I suddenly had the funniest picture of Kagome saying that she was mature. She's about as mature as Kara is with her husband and we both know that she refuses to even talk to him" Aya said, while giggling to herself.

"Heh, that is funny. At least I am the mature one in our relationship" he said, which in turn caused Aya to choke on her drink.

"Excuse me? Ummm, first we don't have a relationship and second you are about as mature as Kagome's brother. Scratch that you are as mature as a five year old." She corrected herself and took another drink of her soda.

Tora, being Tora, thought that this was a good time to have a heart to heart with Aya, "C'mon Aya. Can't you find it in your heart to go out with me?" he asked in a pleading voice.

"Tora. If you don't get your hand off of my boob I will kill you" she said while glaring daggers at him from across the table. He didn't remove hand and instead just smiled at her with and award winning smile. In the next second he was on the floor knocked out with a soda on his head and fries on his shirt. Aya just got up and walked out of the establishment like nothing ever happened.

"Hmmm, maybe I will go to the Higurashi's for a little bit" she said as she drank from her not spilled soda on the way to the Higurashi shrine.

Back in Feudal Japan:

"What is it wench?" he said gruffly as he stood on top of the hill with his arms crossed in his tattered sleeves. He looked cocky even though he was worse wound wise than I was. Which meant that 'osuwari' was definitely out of the question for now.

"Listen" I said and had to gather my courage to destroy my pride in this situation. "I'm sorry. I know you were just trying to help me with my wounds earlier, but could you help me up?" I asked him in a pleading tone.

"Keh, why should I wench?" he asked me even as his chest puffed out to show that he had won.

"Because I asked nicely and apologized dog-boy" I hissed back at him. I swear if I am some kind of cat demon then that would explain why we don't get along very well, or at least why we fight all the time. I watched as he simply narrowed his eyes at me when I used his nick-name that he hated. So once again I conceded, "_Please_" I said to him with suppressed venom in my voice.

"Keh and you say I need to learn manners" he muttered under his breath and slid down the hill to my now stationary position about half way down. "Alright, get on" he told me while crouching down with his back facing me.

"What?" I asked rather dumbly while I stared at his soaked back. He sighed and looked back over his shoulder annoyedly at me.

"Get on stupid" he said to me while he took a step on the hill to get more comfortable and more purchase against the ground. "I don't have all d-mph!" he started to say as I rolled my eyes and almost missed what happened next. I refocused my vision in just enough time to see him sliding down the muddy slope on his stomach. As soon as I was over the shock of what had actually happened I burst into laughter, especially when he glared up at me with a mud covered face and body.

I stifled my laughter when I saw his ears go flat against his mud soaked head and his eyes narrow into a more menacing glare, or as menacing as one can look with mud on their face. All I knew was that he wasn't happy. "You have to admit that it was a little funny" I told him with a smile on my face as I continued to climb the muddy hill, or attempt to. "Come on tough guy, now we both need a bath and we still need to dress our wounds." I said to the hanyou at the bottom of the hill that was shaking off as much mud from his body as he was able. Then he decided to climb up again.

I then reached up to grab a good hold on the slope so that I could take my next step, but when I began to pull my body up my foot slipped and the ground and grass I was using as a hand hold gave way. 'Shit' was my only thought before I was sent tumbling down the hill. Along the way I crashed into something hard and we both were tumbling down the hill to the bottom. When I finally stopped at the bottom of the hill there was something, or someone, on top of me. 'I hate hills, I hate mud and I hate Sesshoumaru' I really have come to hate things now that I have been in this era.

I looked down to check the damage and exactly what was on top of me. It felt that all of my extremities were intact and I didn't have a concussion, but what greeted me was not Inuyasha's face, but his mud covered and wet ears. If his ears were the things that I could see then his face was elsewhere. Embarrassingly I knew where his face was… yep in the valley. 'At least I know he didn't mean to land there intentionally' I thought as I blushed under my rain soaked and mud covered skin.

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A/N: Sooo, just let me know how you like the story so far!

Bonus Question:

Who are Kagome's parents? (Both character names belong to Rumiko Takahashi)

Thank you for reading and please review!

Oh, and if you have any questions PM me and I will answer them to the best of my ability, except what will happen next. For that you will just have to wait.


	47. Chapter 46: Compassion

Disclaimer: I make no money or profit from this story, I also don't own Inuyasha. The plot and OCs are mine though.

Alright, so here is the next chapter please enjoy! :D

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Chapter 46: Compassion

Inuyasha's POV:

'Why in seven hells does she have to be such a klutz?!' I thought to myself as I tried to get my bearings after being slammed into by Kagome and tumbling down the hill for a second time in the rain. For some reason, whether it was because the Kami hate me or I have horrible luck, she was underneath me. Not only that, but my face was not where anyone's face, except the man she mated, should be. I was wracking my brain trying to think of ways that I could get out of this situation without the rosary digging me an early grave.

Luckily for me Kagome had decided to speak. "Hey, Inuyasha. Could you get off of me? My back is hurting and the mud isn't helping" she said in a pained voice that brought me back to reality. I hoisted myself up onto my hands and then untangled my legs from hers. After I was sitting on my haunches beside her I helped her up off of her back.

"Sorry" I said to her mud covered face. If she looked like a mud monster then I can't imagine what I looked like right now. She looked up at me with a confused look, at least I think it was a confused look.

"Why?" she asked me, but then made an 'oh' with her mouth as she realized what I meant. "Don't worry about it, it was an accident anyways" she said as she waved her hand in front of her face in a nonchalant manner. Although her back must not have liked it very much because she hissed in pain. I rolled my eyes at her clumsiness and the fact that she was whining about this wound when she brushed off the other ones. "Besides, I just want to make sure that we get clean and our wounds heal nicely" she said as she stood up in the lessening rain and looked at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked her, not really comprehending what she wanted me to do about it.

She put crossed her hands and smirked at me while raising an eyebrow, "Are you going to offer to help me up the hill, or are we going to have to slide down that hill another kami knows how many times?" she asked me with a mud covered face.

"Keh, or I could just leave you here wench" I joked with her as I flashed a smirk of my own. I guess this is what it would feel like to have a friend. Someone to yell at, to talk to and joke with. Kagome was becoming so much more than just a promise of protection, she was becoming someone I wanted to protect.

"You could try, but you wouldn't get very far" she said to me mockingly. The fight we had had earlier seemingly disappearing and a more comfortable air replaced it.

"Whatever wench" I told her as I crouched down on the ground with my back facing her once more. Except this time I didn't have anywhere to slip and fall again. I could hear her walking up, or trudging up, to me and then climbed on my back. I gripped her thighs so that I could ensure her safety and that she stayed put on my back when I was moving. I stood up and looked up the hill in the diminishing rain. "Hang on wench" I said just as I crouched down and sprang off of the ground and cleared the hill. I loved running and jumping so high I felt like I was flying. Apparently Kagome liked it as well because she let out a near silent wow as we raced past the trees to our nearby camp.

Lucky for us our stuff was still here and untouched underneath the tree. I heard Kagome say something about things being 'water-proof' as she packed what little she had taken out of her large yellow sac. She then slung it over her shoulder and faced me, "So, are there any springs or anywhere that there is clean water, because after all of that rain the mud would have run into all of the rivers and I don't think that muddy water is great for cleaning wounds." She said to me with a smile on her muddy face, apparently she was feeling a lot better, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Especially with all of the crap that was stuck in her wound on her back.

"Not sure wench, but if we head to the mountains we should find some with clean water" I told her as I nodded my head in the mountains general direction in a nonchalant manner.

"Alright then, let's get a move on. Hey?" she said to me.

"What wench?" I asked as I turned to start walking to the mountains.

"Could I ride your back again, it was fun and it would get us there sooner. Unless you are tired then we can just walk" she said hurriedly to me as she slung the other strap of her pack onto her other shoulder.

"Keh, I'm not weak like you" I said to her as I crouched down once more to allow her onto my back. If it wasn't for the mud and the crap that we had gone through in the last few minutes I probably would have been in a crater for that comment.

"You are so lucky that you are my ride to a clean bath" she growled under her breath at me as she climbed on once again. Kagome was not weak by any means, but she still wasn't as strong as me physically.

I smirked to myself and took off into the waning night towards the nearby mountains in search of a spring for us to care for our wounds that we suffered.

**Sesshoumaru's Location (Mystery person POV):**

I glared at the battered, bruised and unconscious daiyoukai resting against the tree. If I so desired I could take his life with a flick of my wrist or strangle him with his own shadow. I reached out my hand and curled my clawed, dark fingers around his pale neck. I would only have to apply pressure or twist at just the right angle to break his neck. Though like this he was helpless and I would be a coward to kill anyone when they had no room to defend themselves from me. Then there was the fact that he held the scent that was familiar to me. The scent of a long dead race, or one that I had assumed was so.

I could tell that it was a female's blood on his clawed hand. She was also less than a hanyou, which meant that some of them had survived that bloody war five hundred years ago. That simple fact alone was dangerous and had to be dealt with as quickly as possible. If she was a threat I would kill her, if not I will watch her closely until the time comes when I must take her life.

I sighed to myself at all of the loose ends my sister had left for me to clean up. I loved my sister for her brilliance, but hated her for what she has left me with. Because of her I am unable to kill that which I have desired to for so many years, even though he is right in front of me. I am unable to kill him because he is a part of a bigger scheme than I am able to place together, the one that my sister foresaw.

*snap*

I heard a twig break in the distance as the rain started to let up in the evening's darkness. I took it as my cue to leave the Lord of the West to whatever lurked in the darkness of this night. "If you do not learn compassion before your destiny is done, your life is mine to destroy" I said as a parting as I left him to fate and faded into the shadows all around me.

After a few moments there was more rustling and then a small shape made its presence in the small opening of the trees. What was revealed was a small dark brown haired child with large curious brown eyes and dirty clothes looking at the unconscious youkai lord. She went back into the forest with a determined look on her face and returned from whence she came.

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A/N: so are things starting to make sense?

By the way happy birthday to all of you who were born in June! :)

I think it is obvious who the little girl is, but guess who the mystery demon is.

+60,000 words is how many this story has total! Wow, this is the most I have written for one of my fan fictions.

Any questions just let me know and I will help you out the best that I can!

Thank you for reading and please review! (I love it when people review and the 49 is bothering me. I think I have OCD...)


	48. Chapter 47: Stronger

Disclaimer: I throw my fanfics in the air somethimes! Sayin' Eh-Oh~! I own Zero.

Really I don't own Inuyasha or any to the characters from the show or manga. The OCs and plot are mine though.

Thank you Lexica1999 for being the 50th reviewer and making my increasingly annoying OCD disappear, for now.

Answer to questions:

The next character to be introduced was Rin. She will come up in the next chapters after this one and end the 'Sesshoumaru arc'.

Yes, Tora is cat demon, but you have to be specific. He is at least part Tiger demon, so use your imagination to figure out what he is.

No one has correctly guessed Kagome's hobby.

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Chapter 47: Stronger

"Are we there yet?" whined Kagome in my ear for what, the 100TH TIME! By now the rain had stopped and the sun was just cresting the horizon. The mud on our bodies that wasn't washed away in the rain was now dry and uncomfortable.

"No" I growled at her for the 100th time as I adjusted her on my back. I was seriously considering dropping her off of a cliff or in the nearest raging river. At least if it was a river she would be clean. It was taking a lot longer to find a good spring so that we could clean our wounds and clothes. We were faster since she is on my back, but apparently for the wench it wasn't fast enough.

"Are there yet NOW?!" she said in an annoyed and whiny voice into my ear.

"Damnit! No we are not! Listen I will let you know when we get there, okay!" I shouted back at her. I was about to just leave her where we stood when I smelled water nearby. I followed my nose until I could hear the bubbling of water from a spring inside one of the many caves that dotted these mountains. I had finally found a source of water that we could use and was secluded so that we wouldn't be vulnerable. I picked up the pace and arrived at the mouth of the cave. It wasn't a very deep cave, but it was just enough for the both of us to be comfortable and safe. Most importantly safe.

I heard Kagome take a breath behind me, preparing to start talking again, "If you ask that damn question one more time I will not take you a step further" I growled at her as I entered further into the cave. "Before you ask another stupid question, yes we have arrived at a suitable spring for us to take a look at our wounds" I said to her before she had a chance to ask anything else.

"I can walk the rest of the way, you know" she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

I didn't even respond to her question. All I did was take my arms out from under her and let her drop to the ground with a loud thump. "Hey! What was that for!" she shouted at me, which in turn echoed in the small space of the cave.

"You said you could walk, so I assumed that you could land. Apparently I was wrong" I said with a smirk on my face and my arms crossed in front of me. I saw her face contort in anger and her brow crease. I knew what was coming and I had no way to prevent it.

"Osuwari!" she shouted, which also echoed in the cave.

"Damnit wench! I took you to a spring and carried on my back the whole way here. The least you could do is not say that word!" I growled at her from my very familiar position on the ground.

"Thank you for that, but you didn't need to drop me." She said to me as she took her sac off of her back and brought it in front her. Then she rummaged through it looking for something.

"Wench, what are you looking for?" I asked her as I sat down nearby after the spell had worn off.

"Something… for us to change into…" she told me in an unfocused voice. Then she let out an 'ah-ha!' and pulled out three pieces of fabric and two fluffy pieces of cloth. She tossed me a red and black colored piece of, what I assumed was clothing, and kept the two smaller articles for herself. She turned and looked at me with expectation on her face.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" I asked her while holding up the article of clothing, that she had brought from her era.

"You are supposed to put it on so that I can check your wounds and wash your clothes." She said to me and I opened my mouth to try and protest against changing into the flimsy and uncomfortable looking clothes. "Don't even try to argue with me. If you don't turn around and change then I will push you into that spring myself and make you smell like a girl with the stuff from my era." She said with a narrowed gaze. Luckily I was smart enough to learn that that look meant she would do it. I really didn't want to smell like those modern era bottles of chemicals so I turned around and got undressed. As soon as I was done and had figured out how to put on the clothes that she had given me I turned around. Bad move.

I turned around and she was wearing barely anything. The cloth from before was on her bottom half, covering barely anything. Not to mention that she was squatting down to find something else in her giant yellow sac. There was one of the fluffy cloths that was hanging on her shoulders, but that was all that she was wearing. "Wh-wh-what are you wearing?!" She wasn't wearing much, but she was till just as covered in mud as I am. Though in this day and age people did not dress like that, even married. It wasn't normal.

"What? I'm wearing a bikini. Besides it is a swimsuit, unless you want me to go in naked?" she asked me sarcastically and incredulously.

"You can't go in naked!" I shouted at her as a blush crossed my face.

"It was a sarcastic comment. Besides both of us are taking a bath and I need you to get the stuff out of my wounds and I have to wash your hair." She said to me with an annoyed look. "Here" she said as she tossed a container with some liquid in it. "It is called shampoo, smell it and tell me if you don't like the smell" she said to me. I cocked my head to the side and looked at her curiously. "You don't like the smell of most of the stuff from my era, so I bought you something natural. If you don't like then I will still use it for myself" she said to me as she shrugged her shoulders slightly and grasped the towel in front of her.

"Thanks" I quietly said back. No one, but my mother and father, had ever given me anything but bruises, wounds and lies. I opened the 'sham-puu' with my clawed hand and took a light sniff of its contents. It smelled of oil, soap, pine and mint. It was different from the other few things in her era I was able to figure out or smell. "It smells like pine and mint" I said to her as I lowered my hand with the 'sham-puu'.

She chuckled a little bit and raised her eyebrow in amusement, "Yeah that is on the label. I was asking you how you like it, or if you don't."

"Keh. It's fine and doesn't smell that bad" I said as I handed her the bottle I had in my hand. She took it and then put it on the ground and picked up another container with a less viscous liquid in it.

"Alright, good because this does stink. It is rubbing alcohol and it will disinfect the wound on my back when you cut it open again." She told me and set it down then walked over to the spring.

"What do you mean I have to cut open your wound? Just wash it off and then take the stuff out of it then it will be …" I took a good look at her back and all I saw was mud. I knew that I had no more open wounds, in fact they were all closed. Though I never expected Kagome's wounds to have closed just as fast. I could see the puckering of angry skin from the gouges made by my half-brother's claws. "I'll go and make a fire, you try and clean yourself up as best as you can then I will check your back" I said and exited the cave to bring firewood for a fire.

When I got back Kagome was in the spring and washing her arms with a small cloth. Most of her skin was free of the mud from before and was showing her normal skin color. Honestly it would have been a great sight if I wasn't worried about her wound that had closed up around the shredded cloth and mud. I could see the discolored skin that surrounded the angry wounds on her back. There were black and blue bruises across he arms and what I could see of her ribs. She was hurt badly because I wasn't able to protect her. I never want to see something like this again and to do that I am going to have to get stronger.

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A/N: So this is the beginning of the bath scene, don't expect anything close to a lemon or kiss scene.

Same questions still apply from earlier chapters, except who is the next character to be introduced.

Thank you for reading and please review! :D


	49. Chapter 48: Thoughts and Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but Kara, Aya, and Torao are mine.

I think the Tora question is a little redundant at this point, but at I know who is reading the A/N's! So no questions from me this chapter!

On with the story!

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Chapter 48: Thoughts and Dreams

I looked over to where Kagome slept. Her wounds were now closing for the second time and were an angry pink, instead of the pink, red and yellow skin she had earlier. Her wounds stopped bleed a few hours ago and now the sun was high in the sky signaling that it was about noon. She had fallen asleep after I had taken care of her wounds. We still needed to find more of the jewel, but she also needed to rest.

I looked around the small cave I had found. I saw the dying fire, Kagome's yellow sac, the spring we had bathed in and then Kagome lying on the ground asleep. Surprisingly we were able to bathe together without any mishaps or very awkward situations. The whole time Kagome was calm and collected, though I think she just wanted to wash my hair and touch my ears again. Yet I had to admit that her washing my hair and massaging the mud off of my scalp was very relaxing and it felt good. If she ever asks again to do that I'll allow her to do it.

Though what came after the relaxing bath and washing off of the mud was the fact that I had to take care of her wounds. That meant that I had to reopen the wounds with my claws and then pull out all of the debris inside of her wounds. Then I had to scrub the wounds in order to make sure that everything was indeed out of them. After that she had told me to pour the 'rub-ing al-co-hall' on her wounds. When she said that it smelled bad, but she forgot to mention that it was going to hurt her. I hated that I had to do that, both with my claws and with the strange substance she said would disinfect the wound on her back. I hurt her and wasn't able to protect her like I said I would, then she paid the cost.

When I was treating her wounds she was stronger than I thought she would be. She stayed still and never screamed, though she did whimper and hiss in pain when I cut her back open and then poured the, stuff, on her back. She is far stronger than I originally thought she would be, not only that but she is staying by me without complaining, much. She is also different from anyone I have ever met, though most everyone I met has tried to kill me. No everyone I met has tried to kill me except my mother. Kagome is… a very accepting and open heart. Then again I am the only one she knows in this time that has both demon and human blood. Either way I won't make the same mistake again. I won't make the same mistake I did fifty years ago. No this time I will be stronger and get the jewel to become a full demon. Then nothing will be able to hurt me.

I took another look around the quiet cave and decided that now would be a good time to get some food and more firewood for the fire.

Kagome's POV:

There was fire everywhere. The ground, the trees and even the sky was painted with black smoke and an eerie red color as everything was burning. It was hot, beyond hot. It was enough heat to seemingly melt flesh from bone, but I felt nothing. I was only able to stand by and watch everything burn.

I was unable to touch anything, or anyone, nor use my voice. Though I was able to hear.

I could hear everything. From the cracking and splintering of wood to the crying of the animals in the forest. Though the sound that was the thing I have ever heard, it was also something I could never forget. A scream.

Not a scream of pain from burning, no this was different. It was a different kind of pain. It was a scream of losing someone precious to you. I heard something similar to it when my mother received the call about my father's death. Though she cried and screamed at the kami, this scream was different. It was different because there was more than one.

Each had so much pain, terror, anguish and disbelief that it seemed to echo over the burning of the forest and the screaming of the dead. It was the scream of someone dying in front of you, and you were unable to stop it.

Then everything stopped. The fires went out as a large gust of wind rushed past to a specific destination. I heard nothing and saw no movement. There was no heat, no smoke and no sound. Everything was just gone, the only indication of what happened was the charred remains of the forest and those that were in it.

A figure came out of the trees towards me. She was wearing long light blue and lavender robes. Her hair was long and ended at the middle of her back, black as a moonless night, silky and straight. She had pale skin that was made even more so by the pale colors she wore and her dark black hair. She wasn't human because her eyes were a striking silver color. They were eyes that seemed to hypnotize and seek the truth in a person. Though she wasn't human, I also knew that she wasn't alive. In fact this was all a dream or a memory. It was the same one, or part of it, that the dream demon had shown me a night before. Though this was different because this time she didn't disappear. This time she continued out of the woods and to the spot where I was stationed.

She looked at me with those silver eyes and smiled sympathetically, then she spoke to me in a friendly and wise tone, "Kagome, what happens will, but always fight for life and love. Never anything else."

The next thing I saw was darkness and heard the chirping of birds. I opened my eyes only to find myself in the cave that Inuyasha had found for us as shelter. Though Inuyasha was nowhere to be found inside of the cave. "Inuyasha?" I called out and no one answered. I noticed that the fire was almost out and there was more light flowing into the cave and lighting up the small space. I sat up and noticed that I was not wearing a top… That's right after he took care of my wounds I layed on my stomach and fell asleep. He's not here right now and I don't know when he is going to be back so… Time to get dressed.

I took out a t-shirt from my yellow back pack and slipped it over my head just as Inuyasha walked through the cave entrance with two dead and skinned rabbits in his one hand and a bunch of firewood under the other arm. "So you finally woke up, huh wench?" he said as he smirked at me.

"Nope I'm still asleep, which is why I am in reality" I said to him sarcastically. He just rolled his eyes and stuck the wood on the fire and the rabbits on spits.

"How's your back?" he asked me quietly."

"A lot better, it is still a little sore, but it is healing nicely because of your help" I said as I smiled at him.

"Keh" he said as he focused on preparing our meal. He didn't make eye contact with me and his voice had none of the usual arrogance that I was quickly getting used to.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked him somewhat concerned.

"Nothin'." He said to me and I scowled at him knowing full well that that was not the case at all.

"Well that's a load of bull shit." I said bluntly and he finally looked at me surprise on his face. "Well are you going to tell me or not?" I asked him with one of my eyebrows raised.

He sighed and looked at me with an annoyed face, "I hurt you and I am not supp…"

"You helped me" I interrupted him. "There is a difference Inuyasha. If you hadn't done what you did then it would have gotten worse and worse to the point that if I did nothing about it I would have died from sepsis" I told him.

"What the hell is sep-sis?" he asked me with his arms and legs crossed as he sat down next to the fire that was now building to a good height.

"It is poisoning of the blood" I told him and was going to continue my conversation when he interrupted me this time.

"Hey" he said to me.

"What?"

"How come my bastard of a half-brother's poison doesn't work on you?" he asked me.

"Ummm…" let's think, was I really poisoned or am I just immune? Either way, "I don't know?"

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Reviews that I allow (basically everything): All guesses and questions are great, wining and shouting in reviews is welcomed. I enjoy reviews and helps me write faster, I can't believe I have almost 60 reviews. Flames are allowed, but don't post anything that you wouldn't want to see as a review on your own works. No flames yet, but hey there is still hope for future chapters.

Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying reading this story! Please continue reading and please review! Thanks!


	50. Chapter 49: Like Me?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I do own the plot and the original characters

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

On with the story!

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Chapter 49: Like Me?

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?!" I shouted at her. Really how do you not know if you have been poisoned or not?

"Like I said, I don't know. Maybe he just forgot to use his poison when he gouged out my back!" she shouted back at me. Inside a cave and having an argument did not mix, but it was still happening.

"No way! Sesshoumaru never does things half assed. If he is going to kill someone he would do it painfully and thoroughly." I yelled back at her and put my arms behind me on the cave floor to support my body.

"Well he did a pretty crappy job of killing you" she said spitefully with narrowed eyes then hmphed and turned her head away from me.

'Damn irritating wench. I swear she is the most annoying and stubborn headed person I have ever met. There is no way she will ever find a husband or mate' I thought to myself.

"Why are you growling?" she asked me point blank.

"I wasn't growling, wench" that time I did growl at her. She has to be hearing things. I looked around the cave just in case there was something threating to us nearby. I also took a whiff of the air and smelled nothing but our natural scents and blood.

"You did it again!" she shouted and then pointed at me like a child.

"Listen, wench I have no idea what the hell you are talking about me growling." I grumbled at her, just to ensure that she wouldn't say I was growling again. Really I have no idea what the wench was ranting about.

"I don't care what you say, but I heard a growl coming from you. All I can say is that it disapproving or threatening. Not sure which. Either way, you were thinking both times when it happened, so what were you thinking about?" she asked me as she placed her hands on the ground in front of her while still sitting on her knees.

I looked at her in annoyance. "You're insane" I said to her. She is annoying, childish, crazy, a klutz, always gets into trouble and … her shirt is way to low…

I could feel my face go red. The way she was sitting allowed for her top to hang down farther than it should. I instantly looked back up at her face, which had one brow raised and a frowning mouth as if to say 'really?'.

"Get your damn mind out of the gutter. It is not polite to look down a lady's shirt" she said as she sat back on her knees and upright.

"Keh, lady my ass" I said. Again it was the wrong thing to say. Honestly her anger could probably kill.

"Osuwari!" she shouted in the cave, which echoed both her voice and the sound of me getting spiritually pounded into the ground.

'I hate that wench' I growled to myself in my mind.

"I'm going for a walk. You can ponder whatever you want when I am gone" she said as she grabbed her dagger, a book and a pouch from near the fire. Also she took that small shiny thing with her that she had earlier and attached one of the strange strings to her one ear. Then I heard noises coming from it as I did before. She was outside the cave entrance before I even had a chance to curse at her again.

"Damn wench, as soon as I get this rosary off I will say and do whatever I want" I grumbled at nothing. I got up to go after the stupid wench when I felt a small prick at the side of my neck followed by a loud squelching sound. I slapped the offender and what floated down into my waiting hand was none other than Myoga. "Huh, I thought we left you in the other realm, Myoga."

"Master Inuyasha! How could you be so cruel! I almost didn't make it through the portal! I had to ride on the back of that disgraceful toad demon!" he shouted at me in his tiny voice.

"What do you want Myoga?" I asked him, not really wanting another lecture today.

"Master Inuyasha, do you intend to travel with Lady Kagome?" he asked in a strangely serious tone.

"Yeah, what of it. She can see the jewel and I want the jewel, so we are just cooperating together." I said to him nonchalantly.

"I ask because she is the last of the race of, what the humans call, the Divine Demons. They are a rare race of demon that have exceptionally strong purification powers that are able to purify either a demon's or human's soul and send them to the afterlife. There have been other accounts of them being masters of illusions and being able to see the future's fate. Some speculate that the reason they were all killed off was to protect the rest of the races. Then there was their opposites, the demons that dwell in the shadows. They are equally dangerous. They are able to use darkness to their advantage, both in reality and in one's mind. If you ever encounter another one you must destroy them or run from them." He told me. At least I know what Kagome is.

"So what does all of this mean?" I sked him curious. I don't really care how powerful these demons are, but Kagome is not dangerous.

"Lady Kagome has the blood from their royal line running through her veins." He informed me.

"Oka~y" I said and motioned for him to continue.

"Meaning that her demon blood, no matter how little, is the purest of her race and she has descended only from pure divine demons or half demons." Myoga said, I could tell that he was hiding his true meaning and was unwilling to tell me what he meant.

"Yeah I know one of her parents was a hanyou." I informed him. I still didn't get what he was aiming at.

"Yes, but her line never mixed with their counterparts or other youkai's bloodline. She is pure and therefore very powerful. Just as she is powerful, she is dangerous." He said to me while looking down at the ground, well down at the palm of my hand.

"Myoga, what are you getting at" I growled at him. I didn't like where this was going. Myoga was rarely this serious and it was making me unnerved.

"You should either leave her to your half-brother or kill her." He said to and looked at me into my eyes. I could feel the anger and rage at what he just said. I promised that I would protect her no matter what and now Myoga was telling me to kill her, or worse give her to be executed by my brother.

"_What the hell are you talking about Myoga?!"_ I growled ferally at the small demon in my hand. I could feel the hair on my neck and head bristle at the threat he was imposing. Kagome was mine to protect. I had promised her as much.

"Master Inuyasha it was merely a suggestion. She could turn to be very dangerous, and if not then she would attract other youkai and cause your quest to be much more difficult. It would be much more humane to end her existence than to let her fall in the hands of one who wanted her powers. It was what happened fifteen years ago with what we thought was the last of their race." He told me, but it did nothing to lessen my growling. I hated what he was implying, and I couldn't see why. Kagome did nothing wrong, all she did was come through the well. Is it because she has some demon blood? Is it that bad to be a hanyou? Will other's come and kill her just because of her family? Is she…

Is she like me?

That thought stopped my growling and cleared all of the fog in my mind. I wasn't going to let anything happen to Kagome, nor would I ever let her endure what I did because of my bloodline. She looks human and can act like it around everyone. The only ones who know about her youkai blood are Kaede, Myoga, myself and Sesshoumaru; who is alive since Myoga mentioned him. Damn.

"I don't care what you say, Myoga, but I am going to protect Kagome until my last breath" I said to him as I dumped him on the ground. I stood up and left the cave to go and find Kagome. I wouldn't let anything happen to her again.

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A/N: So some insight to the past and Kagome's race of demons (or lack thereof).

Was Inuyasha growling, and if why?

Insight to Kagome's hobby, and yes her I-pod was okay after being splashed and dried out.

If you have anymore questions, then please ask me!

Thank you for reading and please review!


	51. Chapter 50: With You

Disclaimer: wow I have disclaimed this fifty times... Well I don't own Inuyasha, even if all of my lovely readers like the story a lot.

I do not own 'With You' by AAA. Suggestion by JazzyFlame.

Thank you for your support thus far, it really means a lot and keeps me motivated and gets me to write the chapters easier.

This story will get complicated towards the end, so pay attention to the tiny details!

Luv you guys and please enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 50: With You

'I swear that he enjoys making me upset. Perverse bastard' I seethed to myself as I walked along the ledge that was outside of the cave we were in. I walked for a few minutes to ensure that I was far enough away from Inuyasha to cool my head and find a place with good light. The ear bud in my one ear was blasting music and I didn't care what it was at this point.

Finally I found a good spot on the ledge of the mountain and set all of my supplies down on the ground then I set myself down. I brought out my used, black sketch book and a sharpened pencil; then I started sketching the woman from my dream. At this point the music changed to 'With You' by AAA. I pressed repeat and continued drawing, until I was lost in my own world. I love art, and therefore love drawing. Though I really love painting, both animals and people. Mixing colors and bringing the canvas to life. I smiled at myself because when I went back home I could ask my mom how my painting did that I entered into a contest about a month ago or so. That is another thing that I have to talk to Inuyasha about, going home. Why do I have the feeling that it will end in another fight?

'Probably because it will' I thought to myself as the verse changed in the song.

_Kowashite oikakete  
Kiri hiraite ano sora de  
SEEKING MY WAY hitosuji no  
Hikari ni naru WITH YOU_

I like this song, but the lyrics are really almost sad and they are really serious. Yet, for how serious and sad it is there is still hope within its lyrics. The demon's eyes were full of sorrow and pain. Yet beneath their haunting silver was hope. I don't know who she is, but I doubt that I will never see her again. To me she seems important, though if I can help it I never want to see what I did again.

I gripped the pencil in my hand until I heard the straining of the wood. I never wanted to see all of the people dying and burning again. I could remember the sound that I heard as they were torn limb from limb and their screams of pain as it was happening. The blood from the, what I could only assume was a war, ran across the ground in streams and collected in pools. It was terrifying, but then as if by magic it stopped. Even the fire had gone out and all that was left of the battle was ash and smoke. There wasn't a single body or living person left. At least that I could see from where I was in my dream, or was it a memory?

I took a deep breath and continued sketching the beautiful woman in my sketch book when a shadow loomed over me. On instinct I grabbed my dagger and lunged at the shadow. Luckily it was Inuyasha and he had caught my hand before I could do any damage from my strike.

"Jeez, wench! I didn't know you were that pissed off" he said to me as he dropped my hand, then sat down next to me.

"Not as much as before, but still a little angry. Why?" I asked him. I knew why, it was because I pulled my dagger on him.

"Because you had every intention of killing me, that's why. I thought you said that you trust me?" He asked me with a frown on his face.

"I do. I just don't trust shadows. Especially not after what happened a while ago with that demon" I told him truthfully. Slowly I was getting used to this era and its many dangers. Though my time had dangers of its own. People are dangerous just as demons are and sometimes even more sadistic and cruel.

"Who's that?" he asked with the frown still on his face. I would have to ask him about it a little later.

"I don't know." I said truthfully as I started defining the lines of her face and shaded in particular regions of her features.

"What's with you and not knowing anything?" he asked me with narrowed eyes and an annoyed voice. Something was definitely not right.

"I don't know who she is because she was in my dream. Besides what has you in such a bad mood? Just because I sat you once wouldn't do the trick so what's wrong?" I asked him as I continued to detail my drawing of the woman demon.

"Keh. It's none of yer business" he said to me and turned his face away from me. I took a good look at him and noticed that he was tense, irritated and gripping his sword tightly, as if in anticipation. I sighed and set my materials down then shut off my I-pod.

"Okay, so what's up? We have all the rest of the day" I said bluntly as I tucked my knees close to my body and rested my arms on the top of my knees. I waited for him to say something, and waited. And waited, and waited. This was going nowhere. I was about to get up to leave and go back to the cave when he turned to look at me with his golden eyes.

"Do you know what demon you are?" he asked me. Which was weird because neither of us knew my exact heritage.

"No, and neither do you. Right?" I asked him, not completely sure that he didn't know.

"Myoga told me that you were a very special type of demon that was supposedly killed off 15 years ago." He told me solemnly. I don't think that I have ever seen him so serious before.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that I was the last one of my race. Though you said fifteen years ago?" I asked him. It bothered me that it was fifteen years ago, especially when I was found by the well house five hundred years in the future.

"Yeah, apparently the last of your race was killed fifteen years ago. Myoga said that they were called 'Divine Demons' by the humans" he told me.

"What?" that was the demon from the story my father used to tell me. What is going on?

"I said…" he started.

"I know what you said, but I grew up hearing stories of that race. How did I end up 500 years in the future if all of my race died fifteen years ago?" I asked out loud, not really caring if Inuyasha could hear me. 'What if… what if I am not from the future?' I questioned myself for the first time of many.

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Thank you for reading and please review!


	52. Chapter 51: Colors

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, if I did then this fanfic never would have been made.

I wrote this listening to Monster by Skillet, repeatedly... I think it may have affected the chapter...

Alright on with the story!

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Chapter 51: Colors

"Oi, wench what the hell is your problem?" Inuyahsa asked me because of my interupting him. In realitly I couldn't give a shit at this point. No right now I was trying to make sense of the huge bombshell Inuyahsa had just unintentionally dropped on my head.

"OI!" he shouted at em. I closed my sketch book afnd packed everything I had been using to drae the mystery girl from my dream. I shoved my still on I-pod into a pocket or something, but right now I had to find Myoga. He was the only one who knew anything about me at this point that was useful.

"Oi! Where the hell are you going?!" he shouted at me as he grabbed my arm and tugged at me to get me to look at him.

"Where is Myoga" I demanded. I wanted answers and I wanted them now.

"In the cave, why d'ya need to know wench?" he said in a low voice, apparently registering my serious mood.

"He is the only one who I know can't kill me and has some of the answers that I need." I told im then wretched my arm from his clawed grasp, scraping my arm in the process.

I ran to the cave and found Myoga sitting at the fire sipping from a miniature tea cup. "I see that Master Inuyasha has chosen not to kill you" he said as he took another sip of tea.

"I don't really care what you told Inuyasha to do, but I have questions and you have answers." I stated to the small flea on the ground.

"Well it would appear not. Though I must advise you, Lady Kagome, to calm down. Your emotions can amplify your still very much untrained powers; even if they are sealed" he said to me in a calm manner.

"You and everyone else seems to know a lot more than I do about what the hell is going on. You say that I am the last of my race, the Divine Demons, and you expect me to calm down?!" I shouted at him while Inuyasha was standing in the mouth of the cave with his arms crossed over his chest. I could feel a breeze in the cave that eventually grew stronger and stronger as it whipped around me. The air crackled with energy as it arced against my skin. My hair was being whipped around my face as my emotions all came out at once. I am alone in my blood, I am not human, I have demons trying to kill me, this flea wants me dead and has answers that I am looking for, I may not be from the future, and that I am some chick's reincarnation that everyone who sees me sees her. I don't know what to think, I don't know where I belong and I don't know who I am. Though the worst was the… darkness… that I feel trying to tear itself through my soul. The darkness from the unknown, the imbalance, and the hatred of what was done to my people.

I saw everything through my eyes. I saw the fire being blown out, Myoga running to Inuyasha, Inuyasha looking at me in disbelief and the power flowing through the air, the mountain and every living thing. I could see everything in absolute clarity, from souls to the yin and yang within each and every one of them. I could see the flow of each souls energy as it was pulled towards the swirling vortex that was my own soul's energy. It felt amazing and it made me feel…

Powerful…

Inuyasha's POV:

I figured that I would let Kagome get some steam out and yell at Myoga, but instead of fleeing from the confrontation Myoga talked to her calmly and faced Kagome. Though his calming voice failed to calm Kagome down. In fact it only served to make her more… chaotic. This was the first time since I had met the girl that she had lost control. Though Myoga telling her that I was supposed to kill her was not helping the situation.

"Master Inuyasha! You must calm her down! If she continues she could kill herself or worse us!" he yelled at me as he hopped from my shoulder and hurried away from the increasingly dangerous scene.

"What the hell do mean that she could kill herself?!" I yelled at Myoga over the ever increasing wind that was whipping in from the outside and wrapping itself around Kagome. Though by the time the words had left my mouth Myoga had already fled the scene. Which wasn't good because I had no answers to give.

The wind kept getting stronger as Kagome stared unseeingly in my direction. I watched as the wind began to spark like it was filled with electricity, but it was bright blue, green and grey in color. It seemed to arc off of Kagome and speed the wind up as if it was trying to draw something into it. Then I felt it.

A sharp tugging from within me, as if someone had a rope around my body and was pulling closer. Except, there was no rope. The only thing that I could see being pulled towards her were bright, flashing, bursts of color. There were greens, blues, yellows, pinks, purples and every other color imaginable rushing to her as the wind continued to speed around her until the only thing I could make out were her eyes.

I watched as her deep chocolate brown eyes were consumed with the bright sparking blue of, what I could only assume was, her power. Her eyes were cold and menacing despite their beauty. They looked as if they didn't belong to Kagome at all. They weren't her eyes.

I suddenly felt weak and looked down to see what was wrong with me. When I looked down I saw colors being leeched from my body. Red, gold and violet. Though that wasn't the only thing that was being taken away.

I watched as my nails slowly began to shrink and I saw my hair start to turn from silver to a darker grey and finally black at the tips of each hair. I could feel my senses being dulled and my strength leaving my body. I was turning human.

I was being purified from the inside out.

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A/N: well you guys didn't see that one coming did you?

Sorry about the short chappie.

By the way, I am going to not post the next chapter until I have updated my other two Inuyasha Fanfics: Legend of the Hafling and Naraku's Mate. Sorry, but you guys may have to wait a while for another update. Like maybe a week or two... I admit that I am addicted to writing this fic... Well better you my readers! :D

Thank you so much for reading up to this point and please review!


	53. Chapter 52: Wish

Disclaimer: I don't own the awesomeness that is Inuyasha, but this story is mine... soooo... Bleh!

I know I said that I would update Naraku's Mate, but I have writer's block for that story. Yet I did update Legend of the Halfling.

Alright on with the story!

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Chapter 52: Wish

I watched as colors were pulled from everything including myself. I could feel myself turning human, but this was different from my time of weakness. This time I could feel my Youkai leaving me and not retreating inside of me. She wasn't only purifying me she was taking away my youki. I was turning human and this time I wouldn't be able to turn back. I looked back up frantically and called to Kagome to stop this and calm down, but my voice was lost to the vortex of wind in the cave that continued to increase in speed and pull everything to its center.

I knew I had to do something or this would not end well for either of us. I dug my heel into the ground for a good purchase and then I launched myself at the swirling mass of wind and energy that surrounded Kagome. As soon as I got close I was flung back against the cave wall, hard. I could feel my bones cracking and straining against the impact. With each passing second I was becoming weaker and weaker. If I didn't get her back to her right frame of mind now then it would be too late for me.

I pressed my feet against the wall of the cave to gain a good foot hold once again and was about to launch myself off of the wall and back at Kagome when I felt a chill run up my spine. I looked to the mouth of the cave and saw black beginning to mix in with the bright colors of energy that she was pulling towards her. Even with my diminishing youki I could feel the evil and darkness of the energy as it raced to Kagome. It spun around the vortex as did the other colors, but this time it grew until it covered the vortex in sickening dark colors of red, green and black.

Then I looked at her eyes. The bright blue eyes that were once on her face were slowly turning black as night. I watched as Kagome was consumed with darkness. I couldn't do anything but watch in horror at what was happening. Then I watched as she closed her eyes and the wind stopped. The colors turned to twisting smoke and fog within the cave. When she opened her eyes again they were a deep and dark violet. They looked like they had belonged to an evil being, and most likely did.

"Well, what a handsome hanyou we have" she said in a silky and seductive tone that did not belong to Kagome at all. Her voice was higher pitched and had a slight melodious ring to it, except when she was yelling.

"Who the hell are you? Where's Kagome" I growled at the thing standing in front of me. I stood up to my full height and was a good 5 or 6 inches taller than her. Yet her presence was still threatening.

"My dear, don't you recognize me? I _am_ Kagome" she said to me as she stepped closer and closer to me, until we were almost touching. She leaned her head up and looked into my eyes. Her lips twisted into a sly and seductive smile. Then she raised her feet until she was standing on her toes. Her head leaned in closer to my head and she tilted up so that her mouth was as close to my ear as she could manage to get it. "You know, In-u-ya-sha," she whispered to me as her hand rested on my chest and slowly raised it to the collar of my haori and underneath the rosary. I gulped and was about to push her away when I realized that the misty shadows and colors were wrapped around my body and prevented me from moving at all. "I can take away all of your pain and anger" she whispered to me and I then felt something warm and wet on my cheek.

'She's LICKING me?!' my mind screamed. I tried to tell her to get the hell away from me, but my voice wasn't coming out either. I could feel her wandering hand move up to my shoulder and caressing the muscles on my arm.

"Or, I could grant you your wish?" she said to me and brought her face back to face mine. I could see the darkness swirling the depths of her eyes, whatever she was she wasn't Kagome. I did all that I could do in my half purified and bound state. I growled menacingly at the thing that was possessing Kagome's body.

"Awe, now that isn't nice" said the thing in its silky voice. "I could grant your deepest desire. What is it you wish for?" she asked and began to kiss along my jawline. I continued to growl, I did not like where this was heading at all. Not only that, but Kagome is in danger and if this thing continues to do what it is doing and Kagome finds out then I am not even going to have to dig my own grave. Kagome will do that for me.

"Do you wish to have your beloved with you? To have Kikyo?" she asked. That brought me out of my thoughts and caused me be surprised.

'How the hell does this thing know about Kikyo?' I thought to myself. Then I knew that it was far more dangerous than I had originally thought. If I was correct in my thinking then this thing knew me from before I was pinned to the tree.

"To become a full demon, or perhaps a human?" she asked me and licked from the base of my neck to my jawbone. In all honesty it probably would have felt good in a different situation, but the fact that something evil had possessed Kagome and I could feel the slimy and chilled darkness crawl over my skin made almost unbearable and utterly disgusting.

"Perhaps to be accepted by someone? To have the love of someone who shares your pain? To have someone who will never leave your side? To have someone who will never betray you? To have _me_?" she asked me with a sly voice and raised herself up so that her lips were closer to mine. She used one of her hands to tilt my neck and head down so that our lips were merely centimeters apart. She continued to close the gap between us.

'Kagome, now would be a wonderful time to WAKE UP!' I screamed in my mind, unable to use my voice at the moment. Though she didn't and all I could do was watch and keep my lips closed as hers touched mine. I stared into the swirling depths of darkness with my own golden eyes as she continued to kiss me.

Unknown to me she was using her other free hand to grab the dagger on her belt. She reached her fingers around the hilt of the dagger circling it with her pale fingers until she grabbed it. At that moment she screamed out in pain and wretched herself away from me and the wall. I watched as the dagger was flung from her grasp and landed in front of me. I watched in amazement as it shot up a light blue and green barrier that surrounded me in light and pure air, free from the creeping darkness.

"I want some answers damn it!" I shouted at the dark Kagome standing outside of the barrier grasping her burnt and smoking hand. "Who the hell are you and what have you done to Kagome?!" I growled at the thing outside of the barrier and took my sword from my belt as I felt my youki slowly being restored back to normal. Though tetsaiga was still not transforming yet.

"My, my, my, to think that her dagger would even reject her" a, now, dark voice said from Kagome's body. "To think that I was so close to murdering you and I was thwarted by a small piece of metal. Then again 50 years ago I was deceived by an arrow." The voice said. "I never calculated that _Kikyo_ would fail to purify you and instead seal you to a tree" snarled the dark voice.

"What the hell are you talking about and who are you?!" I snarled back. I noticed that the swirling darkness in her eyes was slowing down, but instead of turning back to blue or even brown, they turned red. A dark and sinister red.

"Me? I am your worst enemy and I will kill you Inuyasha and take this girl with me to rule the world with darkness and fear" it said in a dark voice as her face spread into a maniacal smile.

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A/N: So this chappie is done... not too major of a cliffy, but hey I did update faster than I thought I would. Happy late Independence Day America!

So we now know what her hobby is. Thank you to all of you who guessed, but her hobby is painting.

Only question I have is suggestions for demons, though I have a long time to go before I will use them.

Thank you again for reading and I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!


	54. Chapter 53: Paths

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Nope still don't.

Here is a (slightly) longer chapter for everyone! Enjoy!

Alright! On with the story!

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Chapter 53: Paths

The last thing I remember was thinking how wonderful it felt to be powerful, then everything faded to darkness and I was floating in nothingness. I couldn't feel anything, nor could I see anything. I couldn't move or even open up my eyes to see if there was anything in the unending darkness. Hell I didn't even know where I was, but I lacked the strength to find out anything. I simply wanted to rest in peace here where nothing could get me or hurt me. Here I was safe.

"Wake UP!" yelled a voice. It was a female's voice. That's weird. Why was there someone else here anyways?

"Damn it Wake UP KAGOME!" she yelled at me again much closer this time. I don't know who she is, but she's annoying.

"Shut up I'm trying to sleep!" I yelled at the intruder and noticed that I was surrounded by darkness and that was the only thing around me at all. That is, except for the demon standing in front of me looking extremely annoyed and pissed at the same time.

She was wearing a long sleeved shirt with billowing sleeves that was cut off at her midsection. It was a dark blue-green V-neck shirt that went with her low hanging black pants and bright blue sash around her hips. Her hair was down and flowed like a glistening blue and black river down her back. The color of her eyes was the most beautiful color of aqua I had ever seen. It almost seemed to glow and sparkle from the flecks of bright green decorating each iris. I could see a black marking that was two twisting lines, which ran from her right hip to the back of her left hand, while wrapping around her back and left arm. Or at least I assumed so, since I couldn't see her back.

"Get off of your ass and get a move on!" she shouted at me and grabbed my arm with a clawed hand.

"Where are we?" I asked her as she started pulling with her as we ran. To where I had no idea, hence the question.

"Geez! How in the hell can you not tell that this is your mind?!" she asked me in exasperation.

"Sorry, but I didn't think that my mind was such a dark place!" I shouted at her. How was I supposed to know where I was?

"That is because you are possessed at the moment and quite frankly you practically were asking for by letting out all of that power. What the hell were you trying to do? Call every damn bastard and evil demon in a five mile radius?!" she screamed at me and continued to pull me along behind her.

"Wait where are you taking me anyways? And how do I know you're not the one who is possessing me?!" I shouted at her as her clawed hand tightened around my wrist.

"Really! We need to get a safer place or that thing that is chasing us is going to devour your soul and me along with you!" she shouted and sped up so that we were running faster and faster.

"You still didn't answer my question!" I said while wrenching my hand from her grasp and stopped behind her.

"Damn it! This is why I hate brats that don't know anything!" She said and spun on her heal then ran straight for me. I flinched as she bared her claws for an attack, but it never hit me. Though it did hit something behind me. I looked behind me and, for the first time since entering my mind, I saw what she was talking about. Behind me and all around me was not just darkness like I had thought there to be, but large black webs and dark purple smoke. Though I knew it wasn't coming from the demon in front of me because her power was far different than the darkness and evil I was sensing. I could sense good intentions and a massive amount of power from her. "That is why I said we need to keep moving! Now get your ass in gear! We have somewhere to be and we don't have very long to get there!" she shouted as she grabbed my wrist again and pulled me along.

"Alright I'll run, but where are we going?!" I asked her as we sped up to keep away from whatever was chasing us and stay alive.

"You see that small green light up ahead?" she said to me as we ran and ran forward. Never stopping or faltering.

"Yeah, why?" I asked the obvious question.

"Because that is where you'll be safe" she said as we ran closer and closer to the green light that was ahead. As we neared the light I noticed that it wasn't just a light, but an open door within a thick door frame made of dark wood. "As soon as you get close enough you have to go through that door. If you don't you will be consumed by the dark webs surrounding and chasing us." She told me and we increased our speed once more. If this wasn't my mind then I never would have imagined that I could move this fast. At least on my own.

We had ran faster and faster to our destination until we were sprinting and I could clearly see what lied beyond the door. It was a lush green garden with many types of flowers and glistening water running through it. It was absolutely beautiful.

I felt a jolt on my wrist as I was flung forward and landed on the other side of the door frame and in the garden. It happened so fast that I hadn't realized the demon had flung me out of the darkness and into the light until I looked back only to see black, thorny vines covering up the doorway and the mysterious demon on the other side. The last thing I saw of her were her bright beautiful eyes before the doorway was completely blocked off.

"Wait! Why aren't you here?!" I screamed at the thorny door that stood between me and the darkness I had just come from.

"You shouldn't yell, you'll have a headache when you wake up if you do" a soft and wise sounding voice said to me from behind me in the garden.

I spun around and saw a tall, thin demon tending to flowers in the garden, "This is your garden child. It is nice to formally meet you, Kagome-sama" she said to me as she turned around and flashed a small genuine smile.

I knew this woman. I knew her long, straight black hair, her gentle face and wise silver eyes. She was the same woman from my dreams and the one I was drawing this afternoon. How did she know my name both now and in my dreams? How is she here when she is dead?

"Yes I am dead, though I tied myself to this world so as to help you when the time was right. I am here to train you until I am no longer needed in your training" she informed me as she bent down to pick a small pink flower from amongst the tall green grass.

"How did you know what I was thinking? Are you a…"

"Mind reader? Yes, in some way." She said and looked at me with her striking eyes and came towards me. "Take my hand. There is much you need to know in a short amount of time. The longer you are not in control of your mind or body the harder it will be to regain control of both" she informed me as she offered a pale clawed hand for me to grab.

I grabbed her offered hand and followed her as she led me through the garden.

"This is your garden, it is not just any place anyone can enter." She stated to me. Really having someone read your mind is creepy and annoying…oops.

"Sooo, how come you are here?" I asked her hoping she didn't catch my mental slip up.

"Nice save" she said to me and I could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke to me. "Though I can only enter your mind because of my powers when I was alive and the fact that I am now dead" she said to me and we continued on to a more dense part of the garden. In fact it was turning more into a forest than a garden.

"Where are we going?" I asked for, what the tenth time now? I don't know I lost track.

She chuckled at me and then decided to answer my question. "We are going to where your destiny will start. The next choice you make will influence your entire future and the future of others" she told me.

"Great, no pressure" I said under my breath. "So what are these choices?" I asked her as we headed into a much more dense part of the forest where there were only trees and wild flowers growing.

"They are more paths that you must decide on. Each will lead to a different outcome for the future and alter the present you are in" she told me while continuing forward and pulling me along.

"Sooo there is no right answer is what you are saying?" I questioned her already knowing the answer. After all nothing in life could ever be easy.

"Correct. We are here" she said and I looked past her to see three paths stretched out in front of me. One was lined with trees and hanging vines with red flowers rowing from them. The second was bright and small white flowers covered the ground and the small shrubs that lined the path. While the third path was covered by dark and dense foliage that allowed no light to come through and no one to see past the very beginning of the entrance.

"Each path represents a choice to make. The first path it the path of the warrior and power. If you choose that path your demon will be unlocked and the seals will be broken. The second path is the path of the healer and purity. If that path is your choice you can go home and be a human while never worrying about becoming a demon. Also if you choose that path your seals will never break and your youkai will be forever sealed. The third path is unknown. It represents an ever changing future and a fight for your life as well as the ones around you. It is meant as a path of learning, but it will also be the hardest path to travel; as well as the most painful." She finished explaining to me as she stood and waited for me to choose my destiny.

Honestly, this was scaring the crap out of me and I really just wanted to stay in the beautiful garden that my mind had created. I knew though that if I stayed here I would never get back to Inuyasha or my family on the other side of the well. I had to make a choice and it had to be now.

"You said that you had a lot to explain to me and that you would train me, if I choose the wrong path how will you be able to do that?" I asked the demon that was behind me, except that she wasn't there. I was alone with the three paths and the rest of the forest.

I looked to each path and considered what she had told me. Then I remembered something my mom used to tell me when I needed to make a decision, '_If you don't know what to choose, then choose the most mysterious option because if you do you won't ever have to ask the question 'what if I chose that then?''_ It made sense to choose the dark and untraveled path. To choose the road least traveled. Nothing ventured nothing gained. The right path is never the easiest.

In reality I knew what path I would choose as soon as she finished explaining them to me. I would always choose the unknown to the safe route or the strong route. After all if I didn't choose the dark path then I would always question myself, 'What if I had chosen that path?'

I stepped towards the path of the unknown and the other two paths disappeared as soon as I took my first step into the dense foliage. This was the path I chose and there was no going back.

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A/N: With this chapter the entire story (on Word) is ~70,000 words long and 152 pages!

Thank you to Shawns1girl for posting the 60th review!

Thank you for reading and I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far!


	55. Chapter 54: Apparitions

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 54: Apparitions

You know all of those people who said that the right path was always the hardest, or 'no pain, no gain', well they must have said that before they had to go through something so irritatingly difficult. As soon as I was through the dense and rough foliage, after getting numerous cuts and scrapes from the trees and bushes surrounding me I ended up in an unknown dark place with nothing at all. Yet I continued on.

Though each step I took my feet and body seemed to get heavier until I couldn't move at all, except to go back. Yet there was no path for me to go back to. All that was left was a dark, smooth wall that wouldn't move back an inch. I was literally stuck in my own mind. Which brings me back to my earlier thoughts, those people knew nothing. Because if they did then they would be saying 'this had better be the right damn path or I will sue someone!'.

Then again you can't sue yourself, especially not when you are in your mind.

"How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?!" I screamed at the nothing surrounding me.

"Who are you?" asked someone whose voice sounded eerily similar to mine.

"I should be asking you that! Show yourself!" I yelled. I really didn't like the fact that I was probably talking to myself.

"Hehehe! Maybe you are maybe you aren't" said a small voice that belonged to a child.

"Who is there?!" I shouted. I was getting really freaked out now.

"Stop teasing her. She has little time before this space is consumed by that which is possessing her" said a familiar voice. Then I saw it, or rather her. The demon from before was standing on one side of the room, box, whatever. Then I saw a small girl wearing a pink sun dress with wavy black hair holding a stuffed bunny waving at me on another side. I looked over my shoulder and I saw another demon, except this one had bright green eyes, red lips, short dark blue hair and black twisting markings running along her arms and across her stomach. She was wearing a black sports bra and dark, ripped denim jeans.

The scary thing was that each of them actually looked like me, or at least a different version of me. Like from when I was a child or if I was ever into the punk style.

"So can you figure it out?" asked the punk demon with a large smirk on her face.

"What that you're me?" I asked in sarcasm. Talking to yourself is actually annoying.

"No silly! We are the path's you didn't choose." Said the little girl with the bunny in her grasp.

"So you are the demon" I said as I pointed at the punk demon to one side. "And you are the human" then I pointed to the little girl.

"Yes, and no" said the demon from earlier.

"Wait who are you anyways?" I asked the demon that had gotten me to the garden before.

"Hmmmm. I am a guide, for now." She said to me.

"Well that wasn't vague at all" I told her with a voice dripping in sarcasm. Then she merely chuckled at my statement.

"Alright you prissy bitches, let's get a move on and get out of here" said the punk demon from behind me.

"Hey! It is not nice to curse at yourself!" shouted the small girl as she stomped her foot.

"Both of you SHUT IT!" screamed the demon in front of me.

"Wow and I thought I had a temper" I said under my breath. All I received was a glare from the youkai before me. I decided to listen.

"You have to know who you are, if you don't this path will never open itself to you" she told me as I looked around to the other two beings around me. "To do that, you must know who they are" she told me as the child waved and the punk flipped me off.

"I already know that I am not them. I am not a demon nor am I a human. I am not a child or a punk" I started to explain.

"You still can't see deeper than the surface" said the child with her small voice, but wisdom beyond her years.

"If you think deeper and find the meaning to each of our existences then you can find the meaning to yours" smirked the punk demon.

"Look beneath the surface Kagome" said the demon to me. I took a breath and closed my eyes to think of what they meant. If this path was the path to the unknown then the others were things that I already knew. The red path was power, but because of power I would hold no more humanity or my tether to the future. Not only that, but it is represented by a demon with a bad attitude and no semblance of innocence or reason.

The white path was the path to being a human and of a healer. It was covered in white flowers which was a symbol of purity and innocence. Children are able to see things far clearer with minds unclouded by the tainted world around us. Not only that, but they have much empathy and can feel other's pain without the other person voicing it in the first place. Yet children are naïve.

The last wall, or spot available was the path of learning or unknown. There is no one represented because I have yet to accept who I am or what I am. I still see myself as human.

"Exactly." Said the punk demon beside me as she disappeared in smoke.

"You are neither of us" said the small child as she waved to me while she shimmered away to nothing. All that was left was me and my 'guide'.

"You have both the knowledge of the world to defend yourself and those you treasure as well as the empathy to feel the pain of other's. You have the power to be neither a healer nor a warrior" she said to me as she started to fade away.

"Wait if I am neither then what am I?" I asked as I was still anchored to my spot in the darkness.

"Hmmm. I wonder" she said as she faded to nothing.

"Who are you" said a cold voice behind me. I was really getting tired of people asking me that. I turned around and what I came face to face was a cold version of myself standing in front of me. Before I could tell that the apparitions were a version of me, except that mysterious demon, whereas this person was different. It didn't feel like it was me, but at the same time it did.

"Are you me?" she asked me as I continued to look at the practically mirrored reflection of myself, except she was wearing priestess clothing and her hair was straight. It was like I was looking into the past.

"You are Kikyo aren't you?" I asked her as her cold mask never faltered except that a small smile creased her face.

"Yes, but who are you?" she asked again in her cold voice.

"I am Kagome" I started, but she interrupted me.

"Yes, I know that, but _who_ are you?" she said to me and looked at me with cold brown eyes. Although it seemed as if she was looking through me and into my heart.

"I am a…" in reality I didn't know what I was, I wasn't a demon or a human. I was closest to a hanyou, but I was really a quarter demon. I didn't know how to answer the question.

"Who do you _see_ yourself as" she said in a slightly impatient voice.

"I am both human and demon. I have the power to protect those I love and destroy those who would harm them. I can see the energy about me from everything, both purity and darkness. I am the grey in between the white and black. I am not a bird in a cage, but the star that lights the way to a far better future." I said with determination to Kikyo as she simply observed me as I continued on. "I will save people from the impurity of this world and lead them out of the darkness. I will fight for those I love and their lives. I am Kagome and I am a Miko" I said to her as every word I said I began to realize that I have chosen the path of the Miko, a mediator between purity and impurity, demons and humans; I am the grey in a world of black and white.

"Good. Now fight" she said and then disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared in the first place.

I felt a weight in my right hand and looked down to see my dagger placed there. The next thing I noticed was that I could move, in fact my body didn't feel heavy at all. I took a step and bright aqua power lit up the dark space that I was in. I could see webs creeping out from a point ahead of me. I knew where to go and who I am. Now I just have to get this thing out of my mind.

Inuyasha's POV:

I was getting really pissed off at the fact that Kagome wasn't coming back, in fact it seemed that the thing inside her had an even larger foothold than before. The miasma was growing stronger and her eyes weren't back to normal. In fact they were a darker red than before. 'This is not good.' I thought to myself as I held tetsaiga in my grasp and kept it pointed at 'Kagome' as she stalked around the barrier that her dagger had created around me. She was waiting for something to give.

Then it did. Out of nowhere the dagger just disappeared and took the barrier along with it. Lucky for me tetsaiga had transformed a while ago. Though unlucky for me I was against Kagome and I kind of need her to find the damn jewel.

"Seems your little miko isn't protecting you anymore" 'Kagome' said in a darkly evil voice.

"Keh, I don't need her protection anyway to kick your sorry ass!" I shouted at the thing possessing Kagome as I ran to the outside air. 'This way I won't be paralyzed like before' I thought to myself as I exited the cave.

"You aren't as stupid as I thought, although if you were smart you would have cut me down when you had the chance. After all you said 'I'll protect you', or something to that extent" it said to me as 'Kagome' exited the cave and leaned against the cave entrance nonchalantly. Whatever it was that had possessed Kagome, it knew us and had been watching us for a long time.

"Keh, but you're not Kagome are you" I growled as I took a stance for defending myself from whatever that thing would throw at me. Though an attack never came, instead 'Kagome' doubled over and clenched her side tightly as she hissed in pain.

"That bitch! How is she able to fight back!" it hissed as I watched Kagome's eyes flashing from red to blue and back to red. I didn't know what was happening, but Kagome was fighting back and she was winning.

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A/N: Confusing I know, but I wanted to have some more time in Kagome's mind. Sadly the child and punk will not make another appearance, though we will eventually find out who the two mysterious demons are that appeared in Kagome's mind. Also Kagome is a kind of six pointed star and it also means a bird in a cage, or a set destiny. Which is why she said that. Cheesy, I know and so does Kagome.

If you haven't figured out who the bad guy is yet, it is Naraku. That mystery solved.

Though I think I tend to cause more questions than I give answers for! ;P

Okay, so I am going on vacation for the next two weeks, so there will be no updates until I get back. Sorry, but hey having no wifi sucks.

Thank you for reading and please review!


	56. Chapter 55: Deysi

Alright enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 55: Deysi

Kagome's POV:

'I can't believe that I actually said something so cheesy. To my preincarnation no less. I must be losing my mind' I thought as continued to cut away the black webs from the corners of my mind as I made my way to the source of this huge mess inside of my mind. 'Then again if I don't get my ass in gear then I probably will lose my mind' I thought to myself as I continued to cut the webs and work my way to the thing possessing me.

Every step I took lit up the space in my mind in brilliant blues and greens and burned every web that they touched and left green grass and tiny blue flowers as the blackness was cleared. The more steps I took the more beautiful my surroundings became, though I wasn't looking for flowers I was searching and fighting the thing in my mind that had taken a hold of me. It is evil and needs to be eradicated.

I faced ahead and ran to the end of the dark path slashing everything in my way. I could see every web as they tried to stop me from going any further to the source of this poison or evil thing. The closer I got to the source the more webs came towards and with each cut I made it was becoming harder to cut. Though I kept going and putting more energy into every cut I made, until I fell through a hole.

Didn't expect that one to happen.

When I gained my bearings, though how you do that in your mind I'm not sure, I looked around and found myself in a darkened space. There were no webs and no light. My power was able to just barely illuminate where I stood let alone the entire space where I was. Though I could feel evil and poison in the air around me. It was chokingly thick and created an immense pressure that felt it was close to crushing me. I looked up and I saw red eyes glaring at me and two huge fangs that were shimmering in the blackness. It was a spider.

I bit back a scream from the sight of it. It was enormous judging by the size of its fangs and I hate spiders. I hate any bug, scared of them in fact. Not only that, but this thing was in my mind and inhabiting my body.

…

"OH, HELL NO!" I screamed and charged the spider with all of the speed, force and power I had left and slashed it down the middle of its body, just as it was about to shoot venom at me and kill me. When I looked at the rest of the body it was fading away into dust that quickly disappeared from view. I glanced around me as the darkness was replaced by forests, fields and rivers. Then I caught a glimpse of what looked like a giant black wolf walking through the trees. 'I really don't feel like killing something else today because I am seriously beat' I thought to myself as I began to walk towards the last location I saw the giant wolf.

"It is not malicious. It is more of a guardian spirit" said a wise voice behind me. I turned around and sure enough was the silver eyed demon from before sitting on a boulder next to a river. She leaned her hand down into the water and I watched as the water continued to flow through it. Even in my mind she didn't have a corporeal body. It was kind of sad.

"Don't show me pity, it was an existence I have chosen for myself. The alternative was far more unfavorable" she said to me as she looked at me with her silver eyes and showed a small smile.

"You know that mind reading thing is incredibly annoying" I said to her.

"You already said that earlier" she said dryly with a slightly amused look on her face.

"I did, didn't I?" I asked, not really caring for an answer. "Okay, so you are a mind reader and you are dead, but who exactly are you?" I asked her, realizing that it was somewhat ironic as far as what I have gone through.

"Hehehe, yes it is ironic, but also a fair question. My name is Deysi. I died 500 years ago in the war that I had shone you" she informed me.

"Wait you showed me that?" I asked in almost horror. Especially because of what I had seen with the war. It was nothing like the wars humans fought, though I have never been in a war before myself.

"Yes I did. Eventually I will be able to show you more of it, though right now you are not ready to know the truth" she said and raised herself up off of the boulder and walked to me.

"Well, now I am curious" I said to myself, knowing that she had heard me.

She smiled to me in amusemet, "You remind me somewhat of my elder sister. She was spunky and sarcastic like yourself."

"It sounds like we would have gotten along well. I'm sorry" I said thinking that her sister was dead, just as she was.

"She isn't dead" she said with a straight and serious face.

"I am sooo sorry!" I exclaimed. 'Way to go Kagome! Now you think anyone from the past is dead!'

"Not everyone is dead, but all of our race, or the pure race is gone. That is except for you." She said as she walked through the forest. We had just entered. I have no idea where we are going, but I know I have to follow. I have been inside of my mind for a really long time.

'I wonder if Inuyasha is okay…' I thought to myself. "Holy Crap!" I shouted and slightly scared Deysi. I slapped my hands on either side of my face and continued to shout, "Why the Hell am I still here?!"

Deysi looked at me with surprise then had an expression on her face that suggested she was thinking, 'you just realized this now?'

"I don't think you even need to read my thoughts to know that" she said in an extremely dry tone.

"Do I have to kill someone else?" I asked exasperatedly.

"No you don't, but I will be teaching you many things and we will be seeing much of each other" she said and continued walking on.

"Wait! This is worse than school, because I can't even get out of it! It's in my mind" I shouted and whined at the same time.

She turned around again and flashed a devious smile as her eyes darkened slightly, "Exactly."

At that moment I was scared. 'I just finished high school damn it!'

Inuyasha's POV:

I watched and waited for Kagome to come back after the huge fireworks show she had just put on and the fact that her dagger rematerialized out of nothing. Kagome was getting weirder and weirder every passing day. Though at least I know now that she is extremely powerful, although on the other hand she is completely out of control. Which is a really bad thing when you have any kind of power.

Then there is the fact of that demon that possessed Kagome. He knew me and he knew who she was. The more demons and humans that know who we are and know that we have part of the jewel the more danger we are in. Yet with this demon and Sesshoumaru now trying to kill us our chances of survival are looking a little slim.

I looked down at Kagome who was laying on the ground with a barrier around her from her dagger. She had been like that for about half of an hour now and she still hadn't moved. It unnerved me because I was unable to check her to even see if she was alive or not. The damn barrier was in the way. Though this barrier didn't have the blue sheen that the other did, it was a pale silver, and it was strong.

"Damn it, wake up Kagome" I said as I placed my head on my arm resting on my knee. I promised to protect her and that was exactly what I was going to do.

A/N: Alright I am super excited because I now have wifi and am therefore able to post this chapter! YAYYYY!

I am excited can't you tell?

Alright so I am still on vacation, Oh by the way it is Minnesota so any of my readers in Minnesota I say Hello! Oh, and your state is absolutely gorgeous, just not the mosquitos and flies. Them not so much. ;P

Enough about me and thank you for reading the chapter and when I get home I will condense some of the chapters into an arc like I did before. Thank you for reading (I know I already said that) and please review!


	57. Chapter 56: Back to Reality

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but this plot line is mine so are the multiple OCs! :D

Alright a shorter chapter, but it is still a chapter! Please enjoy!

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Chapter 56: Back to Reality

"So why can't I leave?" Kagome asked Deysi in an irritated tone.

"That is because you have no control, or at the most very limited control of your power. Which is most definitely not a good thing" she said to the irritated Kagome.

"So how do I get out of here?" Kagome motioned all around her with her hands.

"You listen to what I say and do it correctly" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Great and you still haven't told me what you want me to do" Kagome said as she crossed her arms over her chest in impatience.

"Well you haven't exactly given me a chance" Deysi said as she raised an eyebrow. Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it and sat down. "Good, you will stay here until you can build a wall, shield or barrier to contain your powers that only you can unlock. Choose whatever word you want, but the fact remains that you need a way to control whatever power you are able to use right now" Deysi explained.

"What do you mean right now, I thought that this was all of my power?" Kagome questioned.

"What do you think the three seals are? Your dagger is a channel of your power and it can also store an amount of your power in case you need to protect someone, like it did with your hanyou friend" Deysi said as she walked along the river.

"Wait what happened while I was in here?" Kagome questioned quite concerned.

"You, or rather that thing, tried to kill your hanyou friend" Deysi said nonchalantly, carefully leaving out the fact that she kissed him from the conversation.

"I did WHAT?! Oh My Gosh! Is he alright? Did I hurt him? If I did I didn't mean to!" Kagome said in a frenzy, she paced around thinking of ways to make sure he was alright. She never hurt any of her friends unless they deserved it, like Tora. That and the rosary.

*SLAP*

"Are you done. He is fine right now, but we need to get on with your training, so please stop freaking out!" Deysi yelled at Kagome.

"And here I thought you were the wise and calm one" Kagome muttered under her breath.

"I know what you said and what you are thinking remember" Deysi said with tight lips and a raised brow. Kagoem just looked at her and raised one hand palm up then hit the bottom of her fisted hand on top of the open palm.

"Right. I forgot about that" she said to no one in particular.

"Well shall we now get on with the training for today?" Deysi asked.

"Bring it on sensei!" Kagome said as she got in a fighters stance and prepared to take whatever Deysi could throw at her.

Inuyasha's POV:

Kagome was still asleep and her dagger was still emitting the silver barrier. I had absolutely no idea what to do and I already got rid of Myoga who was telling me to kill her while she was unconscious. 'I swear I will kill that damn flea' I thought as is scowled at Kagome's unmoving figure. The only reason that I knew she was alive was the fact that I could see her chest moving up and down from her breathing. Then I saw the silver barrier dissipate and then Kagome shot up into a sitting position and yelled.

"You stupid bitch! That freakin' hurt!" Kagome exclaimed to the darkening world around her. "I can't believe she pushed me down a hole in the ground. Not only that, but that training hurt! I thought I was going to be burned alive. 'Don't worry it won't hurt that much, just block all of them and you can get out.' Won't hurt that much my ass!" Kagome ranted. I breathed a sigh of relief because she was alright, maybe a little more crazy, but alright.

"Kagome?" I asked, just to make sure it was really her.

"Inuyasha?" she said and looked at me in relief. Then she did something that I wasn't expecting. She launched herself at me and hugged me tightly. "I am so glad to see you!" she exclaimed. I could feel myself blushing from the sudden and unexpected contact.

"K-Kagome! Why are you hugging me?" I asked her, though after what we had just gone through I shouldn't be all that surprised. Especially not after she kissed me, or rather possessed Kagome kissed me.

"Oh! Sorry! Are you hurt? Are you okay? I didn't do anything to you did I?" she rambled on and on. This was definitely the Kagome I knew. Though why she was so worried was beyond me.

I grabbed both of her shoulders and looked her in the eye, "I am fine. I am not weak enough for you to kill me wench" I said with a slight smirk on my face.

She looked at me then furrowed her brows and pursed her lips, "My name is not wench." She said as she lightly punched my shoulder then crossed her arms in defiance like a small child. I just smirked larger at her and decided to ask her about what happened later, but right now things were somewhat peaceful and I doubted we would get many moments like this again.

A/N: So a short slightly fluffy chapter and Kagome is out of her mind. There will be more trips into Kagome's mind and more with Deysi.

Thank you for reading and please review!


	58. Chapter 57: Cedar and Apples

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

I have had writers block for this chapter and most of my other stories for the past few weeks, not only that, but I also had work. Though here is the next chapter! Enjoy! :D

Thank you ThatWeirdOtaku21 for being the 70th reviewer!

Also I got my wisdom teeth pulled this morning... the drugs are starting to wear off...

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Chapter 57: Cedar and Apples

It had been at least a day since my battle with Inuyasha and the miko. My injuries were still severe and the small child has been caring for me to the best that she knows how. She looks to be no older than seven winters old, perhaps eight. She treats me as if I was not a threat to her very being and gives me food and water that I will never eat. Yet she still brings me them as I sit here waiting for my wounds to heal.

I hear the rustling of a shrub and reach my right arm to the hilt of my sword, not that it would do me any good. It is unable to cut anything and is therefore useless to me. The small girl that had been coming and giving me food as well as water came from behind the shrub with more food that I would never eat. Though this time instead of being a dirty child, she was both covered in bruises and had one eye swollen shut. Yet despite the poor shape she was in she continued to offer me food and drink that she had prepared. "I do not eat what you humans do" I told her with absolutely no emotion to my voice and without ever looking at her directly. Yet she persisted to attempt and give me the food and drink. Eventually she gave up and set the food down next to me. I sighed inaudibly. "Where did you get those bruises" I asked the child.

Yet she did the most unexpected thing. She smiled and laughed a light and innocent laugh. It was a sight I had not seen in a very long time. Nor a feet I was able to accomplish. Though with a simple question, I was able to make this small child smile.

Unbeknownst to Sesshoumaru or the small child who was tending to him, were a pair of dark ruby eyes watching the scene unfold. A small smile crossed her lips as she continued to watch the girl give food to the youkai. To think that a small human child would have no fear of a demon lord. Yet then she was reminded about what he had done to her sister. So long as he was heartless and cruel, his head was hers to sever. "Tick, tock Sesshoumaru. Tick, tock" she said as she disappeared once again into the shadows of the trees surrounding her.

Sesshoumaru's ears heard what the youkai in the shadows had said, though just barely. He scented the air discreetly and found the remaining scent of the youkai carried on the wind. He had not sensed her presence, it was as if she had no presence to speak of at all. Though her scent was slightly familiar. He could tell that she was female, she smelled of cedar wood and apples. 'I have smelled this before, though I cannot remember where' he thought to himself as he ignored the small child next to him.

After a few hours the sun began to set and the child made her way back to whence she came. By the time the sun had set I was recovered enough to continue on my journeys, even if my left arm refused to come back. It was, after all, in the nether world. I will kill Inuyasha for his insolence and end that race once and for all by the death of the miko.

Just then there was a screech of 'Lord Sesshoumaru' through the air as a teary eyed Jaken came flying at the daiyoukai, who promptly stepped aside and Jaken simply flew past him to crash into a tree. "Come Jaken. We are leaving" Sesshoumaru said and started walking out of the forest; following a small path that the child must have been taking. After a few hours of walking Sesshoumaru smelled smoke and human blood on the wind. He glanced back to the direction that a village was burning. He could hear the screaming of humans and the clashing of swords. Though farther to the south west of the village was a different scent of blood. A scent of flowers and sun. Yet along with the familiar scent of the small girl was blood, her blood. Enough to completely over power her own scent and wipe it from existence. The small girl that had smiled at him for no reason at all had died. No, she was killed.

Instead of heading forwards on the path he was on Sesshoumaru changed his direction and walked to where the scent of the child's blood was emanating. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken questioned him, but received no answer as the taiyoukai continued on his way toward the girl.

Mystery POV:

What those men were about to do to that poor child sickened me. She couldn't have even been eight winters old and they were going to taint her in the worst possible way a female could ever be tainted. Those thieves were going to rape her, so ended her misery with a flick of my wrist. It was not the first life I had claimed, nor would it be the last. No it would be far from the last.

I shook the defiled blood of the thieves from my dark clawed hands. Unlike most from this land, even the demons, I was dark skinned like many of my ancestors. A light brown with a bronze hue that made most of my race far different from any in Japan. I had inherited my skin from both of my parents, while my sister inherited her skin from her human father. A trait that would always set us apart from each other.

I walked up to the small girl that layed on the ground, unmoving and lifeless. I had made a clean cut on the top of her spine that ended her life quickly, though not quick enough. Before she had died she was severely beaten and nearly raped. The worst of it all was that if my theory was correct then she would live again, but most likely never trust another human being in her life. I felt sorry for the girl, but my thoughts and feelings were put to a stop when a new scent entered the area that I was standing in. The scent of crisp winter and green tea. Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru's POV:

I glided to where the girl's scent emanated from and was then bombarded by the scent of not only blood, but of cedar and apples. Standing next to the girl was a tall demoness with long, straight black hair that reached just above her backside. She wore a deep red sash tied around her waist and tight black pants that hugged her legs like a second skin. As she turned he saw the rest of her figure and clothing. She was wearing a burgundy metal chest guard that covered her heart, a black corset around her midsection that accentuated her waist and flaring hips, a one sleeved red shirt that covered the rest of her chest and her right arm. She wore a black glove on her left hand and black knee high boots with blood red symbols etched into them. From under her long hair he could see twin black swords with red runes crossing their surface. The last thing that caught his eye before she turned completely were the three soft looking tails trailing behind her under her red sash. Then he saw her face. It was a face he recognized even with the darkness of her skin. She had the same face as Deysi, yet it was different. Her shin was dark, her eyes were a garnet instead of silver and her lips were deep red instead of a soft pink. Though the fact remained that the features and shape of their faces were the exact same, only the person standing in front of him wasn't Deysi. Deysi wasn't a demon. She was hanyou.

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A/N: Alright so now we know what the mystery person looks like, but we don't know her name. Yet. Any guesses?

Don't be hating on my new character, because she is one of my favorites in this fic. I absolutely love her! :D

Thank you for reading and please review! :D


	59. Chapter 58: Shadow Walker

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but the OCs are mine!

Torao: Hey, when will we finally find out about my sexy self?

Aya: Who the hell said you were sexy?

Torao: Well... there was Lucy, Mary, Jak, Pam, Lola,

Aya: Tora. Lola and Jak are guys...

Torao: Courtney, Sam, Mila, Kaguya...

Aya: Kaguya is a fictional character and sam is a cat.

Torao: Yuki, Hitomi, Sarai...

Aya: Tora... If you don't stop listing off random people you have met then I will beat into unconsciousness and possibly beyond.

Torao: Angel, Flora, Chrissy, Sea, Sakur...

*BAM*

Aya: I warned you. Baka. As far as when we will determine exactly what demon Tora is, it will be soon. Luckily I will be formally introduced in this arc so I look forward to seeing you all! Now onto the chapter.

*Said Aya with a beaming smile on her face as she dragged away a beaten Torao*

Me: Right... What she said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter 58: Shadow Walker

"Oh, you look as if you have seen a ghost Sesshoumaru" the demoness said as she crossed her arms above her bosom. "Or perhaps I simply remind you of someone you killed in the past" She said with eyes so cold that hell would have frozen over. The shadows surrounding her form twitched and curled along with her long black tails. Her garnet eyes studying the taiyoukai in front of her, though she ignored the green toad next to him. He was of no threat to her being.

"You insolent wench!" Jaken screamed "you will pay for your slip of tongue!" he continued his high pitch rant and aimed the staff of two heads at the demoness. A blaze of fire shot from the staff and impacted directly with the demoness facing Sesshoumaru. The flames engulfed her entire body from head to toe, ensuring that nothing was to be left. Yet, as the flames dissipated the demoness was standing in the same place completely unsinged with flames tickling the tips of her claws and tails, with some dancing along her hair and clothing.

"Fire from this world will not work on someone raised in hell's fire, insolent whelp" she said with ice in her voice, but did not strike Jaken down. Instead she turned her attention to Sesshoumaru once more. "It is your choice to save the child, or you can choose to be on your way. Either way it has nothing to do with me" she said as she turned to leave.

"If it has nothing to do with you, then why did you kill her?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"If you use your nose, you would know why. I believe that death was a reprieve from what she was about to experience. No one should be placed through that torment ever, let alone at such a young age. Perhaps if you were to revive her she may think it simply a nightmare, or you could leave her to travel through the gates of hell along with those bandits" she said as she waved her hand goodbye in a nonaggressive manner and walked back into the dark shadows of the forest.

"You gave me this choice. Why?" Sesshoumaru demanded of her as she was disappearing into the shadows of the forest.

"The choice you make may change your fate, but either way your head will roll" She said as she turned her garnet eyes back to the unemotional taiyoukai and then disappeared into the shadows. "Tick tock, Sesshoumaru. Tick, tock." Were the fading words left by the demoness and the only thing to suggest she had been real at all was her scent in the air and the singe mark on the ground from where she stood.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, who was that wretched woman?" Jaken asked with his grating high pitched voice as walked up to the taiyoukai lord; who was slowly walking towards the small girl laying lifeless on the ground. With every step he took his sword tenseiga steadily shook more and more. As if it was eager to be wielded, even if it was unable to cut anything from this world.

"She was a Shadow Walker. One that resides in a world between the afterlife and the living world. To be exact her species was that of a Hell Hound" he said as he took his sword out of its sheath to quell its shaking. When he grasped his sword Sesshoumaru saw the denizens of the underworld attempting to pull the child's soul away from this world. He swung the sword back and slashed through the creatures that were standing on her body.

Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword and picked the small girl up with his one arm. To his astonishment she opened her eyes and once again smiled at him with her bright smile. 'Perhaps this sword is not useless' he thought to himself as he allowed the girl to stand and then proceeded to walk out of the forest. Trailing behind him was Jaken and the small girl he would soon know as Rin, who would become very important to him as time went on.

Back in the cave with Inuyasha and Kagome:

"What do you mean you have to go home?! You were just there a few days ago!" Inuyasha yelled at Kagome.

"I said that I have to go to get some supplies and catch up with some of my friends from my own time. I don't know how long they will be there!" Kagome pleaded with Inuyasha as she packed up her yellow pack and slung it over her shoulder.

"Keh! Wench, we don't have all the time in the world to find the jewel you know! I can't just wait for you to come back all of the time while other demons are getting their hands on jewel shards!" He yelled at Kagome with his hands in his haori.

"Well at the very least I have to go to get supplies just in case we are in anymore battles. Which, I might add, seems to be very often. Not only that, but I need to get stuff for poison because I really don't want to get poisoned in this era if I can help it" Kagome said while putting her hands on her hips refusing to let this go, after all the pleading approach didn't work. She never did like begging for things and she never had to beg to go home before.

"Keh. I said no and I mean it. There is no way in hell I am allowing you to go back to that strange time of yours" he said to her with narrowed eyes.

Kagome, choosing to be the one who was more childish in this situation, said "You aren't the boss of me!"

"Keh! I protect your ass in this time wench. If it wasn't for me you would be dead already, so as far as I am concerned I am in charge and you can't say anything against it" Inuyasha said with a smirk as he watched Kagome get more and more angry. All the while continuing to smirk his cocky smirk.

"Oh really? Well I'm not the one with a rosary around my neck now am I?" Kagome said slyly as her lips upturned into a smile that said 'I win'.

Meanwhile Inuyasha's cocky smirk dropped from his face. 'Shit I forgot about that' he thought to himself as he tried to keep Kagome from uttering the four syllable word that announced his re-acquaintance with the ground.

"OSUWARI!" Kagome yelled and Inuyasha face planted into the dirt ground of the cave. "I am going home. You should come too, that way my mom can see you and we can get the ramen you like" Kagome said as she was stepping over Inuyasha to get to the outside of the cave. When she was out in the sun she stretched and headed off into the forest towards Kaede's village.

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A/N: Does anybody read these? Oh well I will write it anyways. So I probably will not be posting a couple chapters a week simply because I have work, other fics and a new fic I will be posting on August 29th, it will only be 5 chapters though.

I absolutely love who the hell hound is!

Either way I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and thank you for reading and please review. :D


	60. Chapter 59: Kaede

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Torao: So you don't own him, but you own me?

Aya: I don't think she wants to own you, you are just a byproduct of the story.

Torao: I think you are just jealous that I was introduced first.

Aya: yeah and your big secret was revealed in all of, what 2 chapters? You apparently are not all that important.

Torao: Ye~ah... well what about your big secret. About that time we *BAM*

Kara: Well that wasn't nice. You didn't have to go all Rapunzel on his ass.

Aya: Never underestimate the power of a frying pan.

Kara: What was he talking about?

Aya: Nothing at all.

Kara: Oh... he was talking about the time you two MPHMHGPFHFP! Get Your hand away from my mouth!

Aya: Those words are never to come out of your mouth, or you will get acquainted with my frying pan.

Kara: Sweetheart, you can't even take me in your dreams.

Aya: Your husband's here.

Kara: See ya!

Aya: Now that that is over, on with the story. Also if you like the single chapters versus the arcs let the author know. Thanks!

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Chapter 59: Kaede

After much bickering and misdirection, because Inuyasha was being grumpy and not helping my directionally challenged self to navigate back, we made it to Kaede's village after a few days. I walked swiftly to Kaede's hut at the base of the shrine's steps. The villagers were still calling me 'Lady Kikyo', even though I had no idea who she really was. Though I had an idea of who she had been to Inuyasha. She was special and had betrayed him.

"Kagome child. Ye have returned." Kaede said with a small smile on her face.

"Hi Kaede" I said and waved to her as I neared the hut.

"Where be Inuyasha?" Kaede questioned with one hand behind her back.

"Probably still in the crater the rosary created" I answered nonchalantly.

"Child. Ye best not abuse the power of the rosary. It is meant to subdue Inuyasha in times of need and not simply because ye emotions get the better of ye" She scolded as she lifted the mat that covered the entrance to her hut and ushered me in. "There is much that ye need to know about the past" Kaede said as she sat down on the wooden floor.

"Okay. Is this about Kikyo?" I asked Kaede as I too sat down on the floor next to the fire with a stew simmering over it.

"Yes, but also about the jewel and Inuyasha. There is much I need to tell you" Kaede said as she poked the fire in the middle of the hut.

"Alright. I'll listen to what you have to say before I go home" Kagome said with an understanding smile on her face.

"As you know you are the reincarnation of my elder sister Kikyo, who had died fifty years ago. Though I never expected the jewel to come back into this world for Kikyo had taken it with her to the afterlife" Kaede said with a sad look on her face.

"What do you mean she took it with her to the afterlife?" I asked Kaede.

"She requested that it be burned with her body. She asked me with her dying breath" Kaede answered me.

"How did she die? She was young right?" I asked. I knew I was missing something and I was assuming Kaede was as well.

"Inuyasha betrayed her. He gave her a fatal wound and took the jewel. That was why she pinned him to the tree. That, child is why ye must be very careful around I…"

"He didn't betray her." I said with conviction. Granted I had known Inuyasha for only a few weeks at most, but he wasn't a bad guy and I knew he was incapable of betraying someone he cared for.

"Child I saw the wound with my own eyes. They were made by the claws of a demon, and the only demon who had ever been able to get close to Kikyo without a weapon was Inuyasha" Kaede said as she studied my face.

"Then why was he able to get close to her in the first place if she was a priestess. The only explanation was that they trusted each other enough to let their guards down. Which means that they were at least friends" I said to her as I explained what I thought.

Just then I heard the ramblings of an angry hanyou as he came through the door. "Kagome I am going to kill you for that last command!"

"Way to make an entrance. I have a question for you dog-boy" I said to him.

"Oi. Stop calling me that wench" he said as his eyebrows creased and he crossed his arms and legs as he sat down against the wall.

"Yeah that will happen when you stop calling me wench." I said to him while rolling my eyes. My only response from him was a 'keh'. Then I decided to ask him what I intended to ask him in the first place. "Inuyasha. Did you betray Kikyo?" I asked him flat out.

Inuyasha just looked at me in astonishment for all of half a second until he was growling and in my face. "I didn't betray her. If anything she betrayed me. She was the bitch who shot me through the heart and pinned me to the damn tree in the first place." He said as he then stormed out of the hut.

Well that question was answered. "You see, he didn't do it" I said to Kaede with a smile on my face.

Kaede simply smiled at me and let loose a small laugh. "I suppose ye are right. Ye seem to trust Inuyasha very much" Kaede said.

"Of course I do. He saved my life many times already. If he wanted to betray me he would have done it already" I said.

"I am glad that ye are able to trust people so easily as well as see the truth of what they have to offer. Ye may be right in assuming that Inuyasha did not inflict the wound on my sister Kikyo, but he did betray her by taking the jewel" Kaede said as she stoked the fire once more.

"So Kikyo, who was the keeper of the jewel, shot Inuyasha because he stole the jewel, so who wounded Kikyo? Who turned against who and why?" I asked as I began to put pieces together of what happened in the past.

"Aye child. Those are answers that I do not have, no matter how much I wish I knew the answers" Kaede said. "Now child, ye best be going if you wish to make it to the well before Inuyasha catches ye" Kaede said as she tended to her stew over the fire.

"Thank you Kaede, and if I can I will find the answers to this mystery. Who knows it may help in the future" I said with a sad smile on my face as I exited the hut. Kaede had lived fifty years not knowing what had truly happened between Inuyasha and her sister Kikyo. All she really knew was that Inuyasha was pinned to a tree and her sister died far too early.

I tightened the strap of my backpack and ran in the direction of the well. Inuyasha was still against me going home. Why? I wasn't entirely sure, but there was no way he was going to stop me from going back.

I made my way through the forest until I reached the clearing with the well. I looked for any flashes of red or silver. Or worse any moving shadows or red eyes. When I saw nothing that indicated I not alone I headed for the well at a full sprint. That was until I ran straight into a red clad chest. Luckily I didn't bounce back, though unluckily for the both of us we fell into the well.

Well damn. I really just wanted to go back home without any complications. Now I have to figure out a way to get rid of a hanyou…

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A/N: Well here is chapter 59 and in the next chapter we will (really) meet Aya, our Canadian friend.

Alright I need demons for later (like waaaaaay later) chapters and are the Arcs working for everybody or should I go back to individual chapters?

Thank you for reading and please review! :D


	61. Chapter 60: Aya

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but the OC's are completely mine.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 60: Aya

"Ow" I said as I was face down in the dirt. At least now I knew how Inuyasha felt every time I used the rosary. "Could you get off of me?" I said into the dirt.

"I don't really feel like it" Inuyasha said as he was sitting on my back like a child. Except he wasn't one. He was a full grown hanyou and he was heavy.

"Inuyasha! I swear you are **so** going to regret this" I said to him as I tried to dislodge him from my back.

"Sure, but you can't do anything when you are down there. Besides, you tried to leave without telling me, wench" said to me with accusing eyes.

"Yeah. I did. Since when did I have a curfew mom?" I asked him sarcastically.

"Oi!" he yelled at me.

"What! If you don't like that name, then why don't you get off of my back you brat" I yelled back at him. Really since when did I resort to calling people names? Oh yeah. When I met dog boy who was still SITTING on my BACK!

"OI! Will you stop acting like a kid" he demanded of me.

"Sure, when you get your big butt off of my back" I said as I leaned my head on my hand, after all this was probably going to take a while.

"Sis!" I heard my brother scream from the top of the well. I looked up and saw Souta waving at me. If he had been standing there and watching things unfold then I was going to kill him. "I heard voices and thought I should interrupt you, especially because the other one was a guy's voice. So what were you two doing down here in the dark cramped well? I hope it wasn't anything you weren't supposed to be doing." Souta said with smirk on his face. There was the wonderfulness of having a brother in junior high. Then again after all the crap I pulled on him, I am surprised he didn't turn out worse. That and this was probably revenge for when I called him a scaredy cat after I got sucked into all of this mess.

"Shut it Souta, or I will curse you!" I screamed at him, with Inuyasha still on my back.

"Keh, you don't know any curses. Besides, who's the brat?" Inuyasha asked me as he pointed up at my brother.

"He's my brother and get off of me!" I yelled as I got my arms underneath me and pushed up as hard as I could, this time I managed to dislodge him from my back. Free at last!

As soon as I got to my feet I started to climb the ladder that was left in the sell after I had come back the first time. Only now, it wasn't covered in my own blood. When I got to the top of the well I could see the worry in my brother's eyes. The tough guy act was just so he cover this up, huh? "I'm alright Souta. I just need to get some supplies and meet up with some friends this time. I'm not wounded I promise" I said as I messed up my brother's hair, which was getting harder to do since he started to get taller. I was about average height at five foot four inches and my brother was quickly catching up to me.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "I wasn't worried. After all it wasn't as bad as what happened that time you went to the hospital" He said to me. We would always joke around with each other and fight like normal siblings would, but even though I was his adopted sister we loved each other and would protect each other no matter what happened. We were like each other's best frenemy's in a way.

"Kagome we are going back" Inuyasha said right behind and grabbed my wrist.

"The hell I am." I said as I glared at the hanyou.

"You don't really have a choice" he growled. Though Souta just stood there looking at Inuyasha.

"Are those real?" Souta asked and I noticed that he was staring directly at Inuyasha's ears that instinctively twitched on top of his head.

"Yep. They sure are" I said as I was resisting the pull of the hanyou behind me.

"Cool." Souta said as he then turned around to go back into the house. I went to go with him, but again Inuyasha had my wrist and he was insistent on going back to the Sengoku Jidai.

"Inuyasha let go. I have stuff that I need to get" I said as I pulled in the opposite direction of where he was pulling.

"Keh! And I said that we are going back!" he exclaimed and then turned around and grabbed my waist. He then proceeded to lift me up over his shoulder and started walking to the well.

"Inuyasha PUT ME DOWN!" I screamed.

"Ouch! That hurt wench!" He yelled at me and I started to struggle against him, which only served to make him tighten his grip.

With each passing second the well house got closer and my chances of a modern bath, bed and painting materials were getting further and further out of reach. I decided to try a last ditch effort of staying here in this time for a little bit. I didn't want to use this because of the position I was in, but he left me no choice. "Uh! That is it! I am not some… some _thing_ that you can just carry around and do with whatever you want. I have free will and rights! And I choose to use the right to speak!" I shouted at Inuyasha, who had somehow managed to tune me out. How? I didn't know, but at least he wouldn't see this coming.

I breathed in and yelled at the top of my lungs just in spite, "OSUWARI" and with that we both fell to the ground. My legs were pinned underneath Inuyasha's shoulder and Inuyasha was pinned to the ground by the rosary.

*Ka-che*

"Well that was memorable, and… send!" exclaimed a bright voice from behind me. When I looked up from my place pinned to the ground I saw one of my best friends, Aya, standing with her phone out like she was taking a picture.

…

'She did not just take a picture of this situation' I thought in horror as she just simply smiled at me with her ash blonde ponytail blowing in the slight breeze that was present at the shrine.

"Jak is going to get a kick out of this" Aya said as she returned her phone to her pocket and went inside of my house like she owned the place.

'She did' was all I thought as I renewed my vigor at trying to get the, now, very irritated hanyou off of me.

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A/N: Yay we meet Aya, officially, and we will finally figure out who Tora really is, or rather what he really is.

Thank you for reading and please review!


	62. Chapter 61: Paintings

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Also I know there is a lot of filler now, but I promise there will be more action. Either way, please enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 61: Paintings

"Inuyasha, get off!" I shouted as I was trying to get to Aya and destroy her phone along with the photo that it had on it. All I received was growling from him, which was not conducive to my own survival at this point. Eventually I managed to free my legs from underneath him before his spell wore off and make it inside of the house. Though what I thought was safe was anything but. I saw my mother, grandfather and brother had suitcases packed for what looked like a weekend. Then there was Aya standing behind them waving her phone in the air with a smile on her face. "Thank you Aya dear for watching the house while we are gone. There are leftovers in the fridge and plenty ingredients for different dishes if you would like" Ms. Higurashi said with a smile on her face.

"No problem Ms. Higurashi, I'll be sure to take care of the house and Buyo. Though with Kagome here I don't know how much a help I can be" Aya said with a sweet smile on her face that was hiding, what Kagome knew, a plan that involved a small party of some sort. With Aya there was always a party, though not like a huge party. It would always be the five of them and maybe some other people. In the past we had gone to clubs, bowling (which we regularly were thrown out of), karaoke, movie parties or small things. Luckily not too many of them involved alcohol. Either way with Aya it meant that they would have fun.

"I'm sure you can think of something" Kagome said with a sarcastic voice and a raised brow.

"Oh! Kagome, Souta will be picked up later tonight by a friend." Ms. Higurashi said.

"Thank you mama!" I said as I waved goodbye to her and grandpa, who refused to look at me. He probably knows about the fact that I have demon blood. I turned to my little brother with a smile and a plan to get rid of him and Inuyasha at the same time. "Hey Souta. Why don't you take Inuyasha out to see the city?" I asked him.

"What?!" Souta exclaimed.

"Please" I said with my best do-what-I-say-or-else face. Lucky for me it actually worked.

"Whatever. Come on let's go get you some normal clothes and then we can get some ice cream and go to… somewhere" Souta said as he headed upstairs.

"Keh. Why the hell do I have to do anything you say?" Inuyasha questioned and was, as per usual, being uncooperative.

"Rosary and floor" I said, not really in the mood to explain to him that Aya knows nothing about hanyou and youkai. Then I pointed up the stairs and Inuyasha simply scowled, growled and 'keh'ed at me before following my brother up the stairs.

'Finally' I thought all too soon.

"So he is the cosplaying boyfriend" Aya said with a smile on her face.

"He is not my boyfriend" I said as I headed up to my own room to change into my painting clothes.

"Where are you going?" Aya asked.

"To change then I am going to paint for a while. I haven't had a chance to lately" I said and then entered my room and got changed.

"Fine then I guess I will just start on dinner" she said and headed to the kitchen.

After changing and Inuyasha leaving with Souta I went downstairs to hear Aya listening to her choice of music in the kitchen and singing along as well. "Why do you build me up?! Build me up! Buttercup baby, just to let me down. Let me down and mess me around?" I had to keep myself from laughing at how off key she was and decided not to tell her when she was enjoying herself so much. I turned down the hall and opened a door to a room at the end of it.

When I opened the door I came face to face with the smell of dried paint and paint thinner. Inuyasha would hate this room, but I love it. It is like my safe haven, my sanctuary. I flipped the switch to illuminate my room and saw the paintings that lined the room, both finished and unfinished. The I-pod speakers in the corner. My amalgamation of different brushes, oils, pastels, watercolors and acrylic. My canvases and sketching materials. The three paintings hanging on the walls, each one with their own feeling. Pride and Strength, Alone on the Mountain and my one piece that I have yet to name. Pride and Strength is a painting of majestic Liger perched atop ruins in India with light streaming in through the trees. Ironically it reminds me of Tora, kinda.

Alone on the Mountain is another painting of a large cat, but this one is of a beautiful mountain lion laying leisurely on a grassy ledge of a mountain face with the wind blowing leaves around. The mountain lion is the sole living thing that can be seen and I simply enjoying the rustling of pine trees and the warm sun.

The third painting was something taken straight out of one of my nightmares, whereas the others were dreams. The backdrop is a dark ember red and at the center is a large black canine with blood red markings across its face and along its body. Its fur is a charcoal black as what looks like smoke rolls off of it and begins from beneath its large clawed paws. Its snarling face shows off its long fangs and the face resembles that of a wolf or dog with long, triangular pointed ears. Then there is the dark skinned woman with matching markings and red and black royal dress standing with her hand on the beast. Though there is more similarity between the two because both share the same deep red garnet eyes and three long furry tails. After venturing to the past I realized that I must have painted a demon, but the strange thing was that the woman had similar features to Deysi as far as facial structure. It is almopst frightening how similar the two look. Like twins, one born in light and the other in darkness.

I shook my head from my thoughts and grabbed a canvas to put on my easel and some sketching materials in order to start on my portrait of Deysi. I put some music on and my headphones into my ears to drown out Aya's tone deaf singing. As soon as I had put my headphones in my ears I was lost in my own world.

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A/N: yes Tora is a liger demon. :), for any of you who guessed that, bonus points for you!


	63. Chapter 62: The World's Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any songs or movies I name, but the OC's are mine.

Mystery OC: The hell?! I am not yours! How dare you try and claim me!

Aya: shut up, you aren't even in this chapter.

Mystery OC: Yeah well I am a far more important character than you anyways!

Aya: You don't even have a name yet, in fact the readers don't even know if you are a girl or boy.

Tora: How about I take care of that right now and ensure that those are real...

BAM!

Mystery OC (in a very dark voice): If you ever touch me in that manner I will tear off your skin while you are alive and feed you to the rats. Besides of course they are real, jut because they aren't as big as Aya's doesn't mean that they are fake.

Aya: he just wanted to cop a feel.

Kagome: moving on with the story. We actually get some good and important information in this chapter. Also Inuyasha and I will go back to the past soon because the author doesn't like writing filler chapters. Enjoy!

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Chapter 62: The World's Shadow

"I wonder if Kagome is starting a new painting" Aya wondered to herself as 'Piano Man' began to play. She went over to her bag after she put the stew on simmer and rummaged through it until she found her camera. She crept silently to Kagome's studio and noted that the time was around five o'clock. Kagome had been in there for a good two hours or so, which meant she was in the 'zone'. Aya slowly and silently opened the door to see Kagome with her hair tied up in a messy bun, her painting clothes on and a paintbrush in her mouth with another one in her hand making small strokes across the canvas. Aya could see the beginnings of a portrait. She silently opened the door a little more to take a good photo of Kagome working on her painting. Kagome is the painter, but Aya is the photographer. She silently took a picture of Kagome without her ever knowing Aya was there in the first place.

Aya smiled to herself. Kagome always looked determined and focused when she was painting, but at the same time she managed to look peaceful. Even in this time there was still war and true peace was hard to come by. Yet there were things to stop all-out war from happening, such as governments, peace-keeping organizations and the organization she belonged to. Sekai no Kage. The same organization that Tora belongs to. It stretches across the world and is known only by those who are chosen to join their ranks and the other demons and half demons of the world.

Aya took out her phone and dialed Tora's number. "Tora" she said to the device as she pressed the speaker button.

"What" he said on the other line.

"You sound annoyed" Aya said with a sarcastic smirk on her face.

"Kagome's kid brother left the cosplayer here at the dojo then took off with a friend." Tora said in an annoyed tone.

Aya simply giggled. Tora really did hate dogs. It was something that had never changed with him, he had always hated canines, except their superior. She was possibly the only exception. "I need you to go shopping. Get things for a movie night. It won't be much of a party because Jak and Kara are gone, but we can make due with us and 'Gome" Aya said to the phone as she returned her camera to her bag.

"You want me to go shopping with the mutt?" Tora nearly growled into the phone.

"Yes, kitten I want you to make nice with the puppy and go forage for some food in the wondrous rectangular food box we call a 'grocery store'" Aya said in a teasing tone.

"You know sometimes you make it really hard to love you" Tora ground out on the other side of the line.

"I know" Aya said in a sing song voice, "but you did a really good job of it a few months ago."

Tora sighed and decided to ask what it was she really wanted, "What do you want?"

"Unhealthy movie food. I made some chicken vegetable stew and have parmesan crusted eggplant in the oven" Aya said to Tora.

"What is it with you and vegetables? I thought you were a carnivore." Tora replied in a disappointed tone.

"I'm an omnivore, you are the carnivore Tora" Aya pointed out to the liger demon.

"Why do I have to take the dog on a walk again?" Tora questioned Aya once more.

"You don't have to, just ensure that he gets back to the shrine, get the junk food and don't botch anything up!" Aya sweetly informed Tora before hanging up on him.

"When did you and Tora get together?" asked a voice from behind Aya.

She turned around to see Kagome standing in the doorway to the kitchen waiting for an answer to her question.

"You heard that?" Aya asked incredulously; hoping that she didn't, but knowing all too well that she did.

"No I was listening to the toaster's exploits in love. Yes I heard you. Now. Spill" Kagome retorted. Her posture left no room for argument nor any indication that she would let this go.

"Before we graduated. And no we are not going out, we are just friends with… benefits" Aya said as she stirred the stew she made awkwardly. "Besides we don't do it all the time and if we want to we see other people."

"Don't you love him?" Kagome asked Aya.

"Of course I do" she replied with a smile on her face. "Though I am not in love with him."

"Is there a difference?" asked Kagome again, though this time in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"'Course there is, there are different kinds of love. The love of friends, family and lovers. Then there is being in love with someone. That is when you would do absolutely anything just to see them smile, even if it meant hurting yourself in the process. Friends, family and lovers would die for each other, but if you truly love someone you would both live and die for them just so that they gained peace and happiness" Aya explained with a sad small smile on her face.

"Have you ever been in love?" Kagome asked her friend.

"No." she replied simply.

"Then how do you know?" Kagome questioned.

"It was always something my father told me" she replied and continued to stir the stew in front of her.

"What do you mean 'was'?" Kagome asked in a concerned voice.

"My father died a few weeks ago in London. Turns out I wouldn't have to work for a while if I wanted to, he left everything to my mother and me" she said as she let tears fill her eyes.

"Aya I am so sorry. I had no clue" Kagome said as she went up and hugged her friend and tried to go through the load of information that had been dropped on her head in the last five minutes. Kagome led Aya to the family room after turning off the oven and stove burner. She just sat with Aya trying to comfort her for a good half hour or so before the tears and sniffles had stopped. "I heard that you wanted a movie night?" Kagome questioned her friend.

"Yeah. Tora is getting junk with your boyfriend" Aya replied as she wiped her eyes and nose with a Kleenex.

"He is not my boyfriend" Kagome ground out.

"Ha ha ha. Whatever you say, but we are watching one of my movies" Aya said in a far more cheery voice than before.

"I am NOT watching Monte Python and the Holy Grail again" Kagome said in a flat tone that made Aya laugh out loud.

"It isn't Monte Python, or any of the Mel Brooks films. This time it is Kelly's Heroes" Aya informed Kagome.

"What is it about?" Kagome asked incredulously.

"It is a 1970 war movie about US soldiers sneaking across Nazi lines in order to steal gold" Aya said with a large smile on her face.

"Great. A war movie" Kagome said sarcastically.

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A/N: Alright some good information and a little more on Aya.

Also I apologise for not updating as fast as I used to, but life is kinda busy with me having 2 part-time jobs and looking for an apartment.

If any of you ever have a chance watch Kelly's Heroes, it is my absolute favorite war movie! :)


	64. Chapter 63: Cat's Out of the Bag

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. There I said it.

Here's the new chapter! Enjoy!

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Chapter 63: Cat's Out of the Bag

"It was nice spending time with you even if your boyfriend wouldn't stop asking questions" Aya said as she was walking to the door to see Tora out with Kagome. "I wish we could hang out like this some more, but Tora has to go home and I want a shower" Aya stated with a smile. The whole night had been a little awkward with Inuyasha not knowing anything about WWII and the fact that Tora was glaring at Inuyasha all night, but it was still a lot of fun. After the movie they had all talked about everything that had gone one while they were apart and what was going on now. Besides the time traveling and defeating demons in the Feudal Era part of Kagome's life.

"Aya why don't you go with Tora so that you two can actually spend some quality time together that doesn't involve bed sheets" Kagome said as she pushed Aya out the door and into Tora, who stumbled a little from the impact.

"Hey! What is with you trying to get rid of us?" Aya shouted at Kagome.

"I'll clean up and then go with Inuyasha to his home as you walk with Tora" Kagome explained to the couple before her.

"I knew it! He is your boyfriend" Tora exclaimed.

"He is no my boyfriend any more than you two are a pair of cats!" Kagome yelled as she shut the door in Tora's face.

"She did not just say that" Aya said with concealed laughter.

"Yep, she really just did" Tora said as he bit his lip to keep himself from laughing as well. Tora and Aya left the shrine to be out of earshot from the Inu hanyou that was keeping Kagome company. They walked in silence for a little while before Tora decided to break it, "Why didn't you tell me your dad died?"

"You never asked" Aya replied as she faced forward and continued to walk ahead.

"I shouldn't have had to. Your mother called me and asked how you were holding up" he continued even though he knew that Aya didn't want to talk about it.

"She didn't have to and we don't have to talk about this" Aya snapped.

"I know we don't but you being mad at him and your mother is not going to solve anything" he said as he grabbed her arm to stop her and turn her around to face him. Tora was tall for any human or demon at 6'2", a full foot taller than Aya was. She looked up at with stubborn tears in her eyes.

"I don't understand why he didn't take my mother up on her offer and why she didn't push it further towards him" she said with tight lips and tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. "I hate crying and all of this sentimental bullshit" she said as she wretched her arm from Tora's grasp and turned to continue walking.

"It won't go away, besides he lived a good long life for a human. He was over 90 wasn't he?" Tora asked.

"He was 94 years old" she said. "I just don't know why he didn't want to make the blood bond?" she questioned no one in particular.

"Maybe he didn't want to live for thousands of years like mother will. He probably didn't want to watch his human family and friends die long before he did" Tora explained.

"Yeah, but he would have had me" Aya said in a soft voice as Tora decided that now was a good time to pull her in for a hug.

"Yes, but he had his fill of life and was ready to leave…" Tora started, but was interrupted by Aya.

"But I'm only nineteen and a half" Aya said into Tora's chest.

"Aya" Tora said in a flat and blunt tone. "You were born in 1940. You are 75 years old."

"Nu-uh. I was born on February 29, 1940. Therefore I am 19.5 years old" Aya said obstinately.

"2015 subtracted by 1940 is 75 years. You are 75 years old, just as I am 125 years old" Tora said as he meshed his fingers together behind Aya to keep her close to him.

"You weren't born on a leap year Tora" Aya said bluntly as her brows knit together and she placed her hands on his chest and pushed away from him, though only lightly.

"No I wasn't" he smirked at Aya and leaned down so that his forehead was touching hers. "Is it safe to assume that the hanyou was Kagome's boyfriend?" he asked and his smirk grew larger.

Aya giggled after Tora had cheered her up, "Yeah, I guess so."

"I much prefer it when you smile, my little puma" Tora said as he kissed her forehead.

"I don't care if I am, just don't call me that" Aya pouted.

"Whatever you say Ayana" Tora said as he broke their hug and held her hand all the way to his dojo. "You sure you'll be alright going all the way back to Kagome's?" Tora said just to make sure she wouldn't do something stupid.

"It's dark and chances are that Kagome and dog-boy are on the other side of the well" Aya said as stripped out of her clothing and handed it to Tora. Unlike most hanyous Aya could change into an animal form, but unlike youkai her clothes did not transform with her.

"Looking sexy as always" Tora growled approvingly.

"Oh, shut it. It's nothing you haven't seen already" she said as she took off her bracelet, which was her concealment charm. Her hazel eyes changed to golden green and her ears shifted to the top of her head. Her ears were curved cougar ears and her long thick tail swished nonchalantly behind her. Then she shifted right before Tora's eyes into a sandy tan cougar. Tora walked up to the door of the dojo and opened it. He bowed grandly and used his arm to show Aya the way out. Aya simply growled in annoyance before she disappeared into the night and headed back to Kagome's shrine for a home.

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Thank you for reading and please review!


	65. Chapter 64: Lunar Mirage

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Please enjoy the chapter! So happy that some of the fillers are done! Also sorry about updating so late.

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Chapter 64: Lunar Mirage

"You sure you got everything because you ain't going back" Inuyasha stated as he and I climbed out of the well.

"Yes I have everything, Mom" I said in defiance towards the hanyou who seemed to be in a perpetual sour mood.

"Oi!" he shouted at me. He really can't just be in a happy mood. In fact I don't think that I have ever seen him laugh.

I'll have to work on that.

"Wench! Stop ignoring me!" he continued to shout.

"Really you are far older than me and act less mature than my little brother. I can't decide if you are my mother or a child" I said sarcastically. I took a look glace in his direction I swear I saw a vein pop on his forehead, though his ears were twitching angrily atop his head. I could hear him mumbling something under his breath, but I couldn't understand what it was. Though I didn't care either. We had managed to make it back to the Fuedal Era without letting Aya and Tora know about the portal to the past that was located in my 'backyard'. "Did you say something Inyasha?" I asked, simply to mess with him.

"Nothing you'd understand wench" he sneered at me.

"Osuwari" I said to him. That made it twice in one day… I really need to work on this whole 'talking things out civilly' thing.

I left Inuyasha in the crater he made from plummeting to the ground and headed to Kaede's hut with my overloaded backpack. I looked up at the sky and saw the sun had set long ago and I was navigating the woods in the darkness of night.

…

…

With my track record and things that tend to go bump in the night this is not a good situation. I looked around me to ensure that I saw no glowing eyes and as an extra precaution I unstrapped my dagger from my side. Then I took another glance at my surroundings and sprinted for the edge of the forest. Of all the times I had to leave Inuyasha it had to be at night.

Inuyasha's POV:

'I'll kill her. I'll kill her.' I chanted in my head as I was finally released from that stupid spell. Her moods change so fast that I can't keep up and anything I say seems to make her angry. All I am doing is calling her what she, a wench. At least she's not an old hag… at least not for a few years. Not only that, but she stalked off in the middle of the night, which is the time that demons like to feed on unsuspecting prey. Not to mention the other demons that like to live in the shadows. Until recently I thought they were simply myths to keep children in their beds at night. Though with that bastard that tried to drown the wench; I doubt that they are simply myths.

Though if the wench was in any real danger she would have screamed already, which means that she is fine. Not only that, but I can't sense any demons in the forest tonight. It was a quiet and clear night, but it was still incredibly dark. Which was strange because I knew that the moon was still out. Once I exited the tree line I saw the wench entering the old hags hut. I then looked up to the sky and saw why it was so dark.

It was a waning crescent moon one its last legs. The new lunar month would begin in a few nights.

Behind me I heard a rustle of leaves, but when I turned around I saw nothing. There was no presence or scent that I could tell. I would have wrote it off as wind, but there wasn't any. Then that meant we were being watched. Though I didn't know by who.

Elsewhere, past the Forest of Inuyasha:

A ghostly figure dressed in white with dark straight black hair was facing a dark skinned demon with three long black tails and the same straight black hair. "Deysi. Why are you interfering with the granddaughter of Akihiro? You have no place in this world" the dark skinned demon said to the ghostly apparition in front of her.

"Big sister, I don't even receive a greeting. It has been five hundred years already after all" Deysi said to her older sister.

"Half-sister. You and I only share our mother. Now answer my question. Why are you in this world? You have no right to be here and the gift that you cherished so much in life had robbed you of a new life." The elder said.

"I didn't want to live twice in this wretched world" Deysi sneered at her elder sister.

"You chose death. If that was your chose, then why are you here?" the elder sister questioned again, though this time she bared her fangs at the apparition of her dead sister.

"Because my work is not done. There is still so much to do; and Kagome seems like such a fun person to play with" Deysi said with a Cheshire cat smile on her face as she faded away.

"You really shouldn't talk to yourself my Queen" said a voice from behind the dark skinned demon. Who stood behind her was a demon with emerald green eyes and flaming red hair. She wore a cloak of white wolfs fur around her shoulders and a black and green breast plate as armor. Her legs were wrapped in brown hide pants and her shins were covered in the same white wolf fur that adorned her back. Her white tail swished behind her nonchalantly as she smiled at her superior.

"You shouldn't call me that, Ayame" she said as she turned around and faced the wolf demon with a stern face, but her deep red eyes held a warmth to them as she addressed Ayame.

"Then what should I call you? Mom?" she questioned as she raised one of her brows as she asked her question in a sarcastic tone.

"If you call me that I will leave half way between this realm and ours. You know damn well I can and will do it" she said with narrowed eyes.

"Which is why I don't call you that" she said lightly with a smile on her face "Though you really do live up to your name's meaning. Dark. It suits you quite well, though it doesn't let anyone know who you really are. You are shrouded in darkness as are your powers and your past. No one knows the real you and…" Ayame said. "No one knows your real name. Except for me of course and _Him_." Ayame finished as the smile had disappeared from her face. It was true. The people she led simply called her the Queen or the Shadow, due to her powers and the respect they held for her.

"I would appreciate it if it would stay that way. No one needs to know what happened here five hundred years ago. It would be better if it all stayed a myth." The hell hound said.

"Though with that jewel shattered and Akihiro's granddaughter running around with Inu no Taisho's second son, the odds of it staying a simple myth are dwindling" Ayame said.

"I know. Any news on her and the hanyou?" she asked Ayame.

"They returned arguing" Ayame said with a smile on her face.

"Good. Keep an eye on them. Especially Kagome. Though don't ever reveal yourself to anyone. No matter how attractive they are" she stated with narrowed eyes as Ayame ignored her gaze during the last few sentences. The hellhound simply sighed as she stepped back into the shadows and to her own world and people.

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A/N: Questions and no answers. Though I did introduce Ayame sooner than I thought I would, but I feel that this would make more sense... eventually.

Also I bet you readers can guess (relatively) what will happen next.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for reading and please review!


	66. Chapter 65: Into the Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but the OC's are mine.

Hell Hound: Are you going to name me yet?

Author: Nope, but there is a poll with your name on it along with other's that mean the same thing. :)

Hell hound: Oh goody. -_-

Author: Well on with the story, and if you would be so kind as to visit my profile and participate in the poll located at the top of the profile page. (you don't have to read it, just please do the poll)

Thank you!

Thank you to Elfen Children for typing review #80. :D

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Chapter 65: Into the Darkness

I stepped through the shadows and entered my world, or what was supposed to be my world. The skies were a constant steel grey and the moon was forever a burning orange. There was no sun to be found in this realm, though there was vegetation and animals which could only be found here. The trees wore silver instead of brown as their bark and the leaves were a pale violet instead of the vibrant greens on the mortal realm. The grass was a dark blue-green color as it swayed in the wind and was crushed under the feet of this realm's inhabitants. The lightflies, so similar to the butterflies in the mortal realm in shape, glowed pale colors as they flitted on the breeze. Birds of crimson and deep blue flew across the grey sky and nested in the lilac trees. Flowers of strange colors bloomed everywhere and horses of ghostly appearance galloped in the distance. It truly is a beautiful place and one I am glad to call home.

"My liege" A male voice that I knew very well said behind me.

"Hoshiyomi, please don't call me that" I said.

"Then what, pray tell may I call you? You refuse to let me use your name" He said. Hoshiyomi is a demon who has mastered the shadow ninja techniques. He has pale skin with three dark purple stripes adorning his face. His hair is long and light green in color. He also happens to be my second in command.

"Hahahaha! Onee-san! Onee-san! You're back! Hahaha!" yelled a small girl as she launched herself at me. She was one of the children that lived here in this realm and the only one that insisted on calling me big sister.

"Yes I'm back, little phoenix" I said with a smile as the child beamed up at me. She had wild dark blue hair and bright orange eyes, the color of our moon.

"Aysel!" shouted her mother as she came up and took Aysel away from me. Her mother shared her pale skin and blue hair with her daughter.

"It is no problem, Aysel simply came to say hello" I said in a warm voice.

"I am sure that you are far too busy preparing for war to be playing with children Madam" she said respectfully to me. We are a group of misfits and rejects from the main Shadowlands. The only thing that protects us is a barrier made from blood stones, otherwise we would have been overwhelmed long ago and this somewhat peaceful place would have been burned to the ground along with all of its inhabitants.

"The war will not break out for a little while longer, though I am gathering troops in both worlds" I informed Aysel's mother.

"I'm glad to hear it, though I am afraid that this war will be horrific and nothing we have ever seen" she said with fear barely showing on her face about the future and what it may hold.

"So long as I am here I will fight for our freedom and I will win" I told her with confidence. The only demons stronger than me were my uncle, father, Akihiro and Toga, the Inu no Taishou. Three of them are dead and the other is trapped in this world. For now.

"That is good to hear" Aysel's mother said with a smile as she took her daughter back home, leaving Hoshiyomi and me alone to walk to our destination.

"Shadow!" yelled a male voice behind me. When you are a leader you have those who love you and those who hate, but will follow you all the same. Kai was one of those people.

"Yes" I said calmly as I turned to face the Spirit Wolf. He stalked up to me trying to seem imposing, but it simply only left me agitated. He is Ayame's second in command and the one that Aysel has a crush on. Why? I'm am not at all sure. Ayame is my adopted daughter and leader of the Spirit Wolf clan, or what is left of them.

"Where the hell is Ayame?!" he yelled, his bright hazel eyes practically glowing with anger.

"In the mortal realm. Why?" I asked him, questioning him more about his right to question my authority than his own interests.

He glared at and was about to say something, but stopped himself from saying something insolent to my face again. Instead he bowed his head in submission and replied. "I simply wanted to know where our pack leader is, Milady."

"I sent her on a mission of great importance. Now go and inform your pack that you are the leader until Ayame comes back. Understood?" I said to him as I waited for his reply.

"Yes Milady" he replied with his head still bowed and his eyes averted. He backed away slowly, never showing me his back until he was far away from Hoshiyomi and me.

"You are a perfect leader" he said as was done observing how I handled every situation that came to me. Hoshiyomi and what was his family was always the royal guard and would accompany each royal until they died. Hoshiyomi is my guard and is always pestering me about how I place myself in danger, constantly.

"You have said that many times, Hoshiyomi" I said. "Though it is still not enough to prevent war. It is tiring and something that I intend to finish as quickly as possible." I informed him with a determined face as we approached the murky, black barrier. The blood stones glowed an eerie red the closer I approached. Though that was only natural since the blood stones had used my blood to create the barrier that stood before us. The only thing to protect myself and my people from what lay on the other side.

"You are going to the other side again" he stated already knowing what I was doing.

I let the shadows surround me and I changed to my true demonic form. My hair grew and my eyes became a deeper red. My markings ran along my arms, legs, chest and across my face. Each of them varying shades of red. The tips of my hair changed to a deep burgundy and my claws turned black. I unsheathed the twin swords from my back, Pyre and Chaos, ready to fight what lay ahead. I pulled the shadows close to me and formed a cloak from them as I stepped up to the barrier. It shifted and bent as I continued to walk forward. As it was closing behind me I heard Hoshiyomi, "Be careful and come back…"

I knew he said my name, but I was already through the barrier and what greeted me on the other side was a desolate wasteland of darkness. A place that humans may call hell, but I… I call it the future of everything. This is what everything will be if I don't win. This is what happens if I don't stop fate.

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A/N: Yayyy! a chapter solely for the mystery OC. You will not know her name for a long while (it is killing me not using it!).

A lot to process and probably no questions answered.

Thank you for reading and please review!

Until next time! :)


	67. Chapter 66: Hana

I don't own Inuyasha, but the OC's are mine.

On with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 66: Hana**

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

Watch your step

Or they will kill you.

* * *

"Are you sure that we are going the right way?" Inuyasha said impatiently. We had been travelling for the past three days and head yet to find any trace of the jewel shard or the thing carrying it. Though it didn't help matters that Inuyasha was in an incredibly grumpy mood. Then again he was always in a grumpy mood, it's just that it was worse today for some reason.

"For the final time, yes. Jeez why are you in such a sour mood?" I asked him annoyed.

"We have been chasing the same damn jewel shard for the past three days and we still don't know where the damn thing is" he yelled at me.

"Well sorry that I don't have a homing device for every freakin' jewel shard" I yelled back as I threw my hands in the air out of frustration.

"What the hell is a 'home-ng dee vice'?" he asked snidely.

"Nothing" I retorted back at him.

"Keh" he scoffed as he turned his head away from me and kept his arms crossed over his chest in an entirely irritated manner. I decided that it was the best choice to just be quiet and find the jewel shard as fast as possible. Then maybe Inu-grumpy pants would stop being an even bigger ass than he usually is.

We walked on in irritated silence until I felt the jewel change direction. Again. Whoever has this jewel shard is going to die or experience very painful sensations for a long time to come. Unlucky for me it led up and over a hill. One of my old enemies, though at least this time it wasn't raining and I'm not injured this time either. I started up the hill and deviated from the road.

"Oi, wench. The path is this way" Inuyasha said with an annoyed face and sharp tone, that simply reiterated the fact that he was being extremely grumpy today.

"I know that dog-boy, but the jewel shard apparently doesn't. It changed directions again, but at least we are getting closer" I said as I climbed to the top of the hill and what I saw actually brightened my day. It was a small village that was surrounded by the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. They were varying shades of red and they were everywhere. The sight took my breath away, but Inuyasha brought me back to reality.

"I fucking hate flowers" he stated and plodded towards the village without even bothering to wait for me. I decided to simply catch up with him, after dealing with attitude all day I was tired and ready for some relaxation. Then again since there was a jewel shard somewhere in the area I wouldn't be relaxing anytime soon. That was certain.

We neared the village and Inuyasha started to complain again about the flowers and how much he hated them. As we entered the village a woman came up to us and smiled brightly. "Welcome, you two must be exhausted. If you wish we could prepare a room for you two?" she asked us. Inuyasha gave me a glare that told me if I accepted he would disembowel me.

"We are just passing through, though thank you for your generous offer" I said with a smile. Something was wrong. No one had ever been kind to us before, except at Kaede's village. Why? Because Inuyasha is a hanyou and I am a single lady traveling with him. Every village we went to assumed I was his whore and he was simply a dirty hanyou or I was a dark priestess and he was my pet. Neither assumptions ever gained many brownie points with us as you could imagine. Which is why this village was strange, not only that, but there were the flowers. I had never seen so many in the same place. Their smell permeated everything and was nearly overpowering for me, which meant it was far worse for Inuyasha. We were not going to stay here the night. No way.

"You should stay for the night, it is getting dark and there are nasty demons around these parts" she insisted, but something still felt very wrong about this place and I didn't really feel like finding out.

"Keh, the wench said no. C'mon we're leaving" he said and grabbed my tightly as he led us away and out of the strange village. "I don't like it" he said once we were far enough away from the village.

"That makes two of us. That village was strange" I said in reply as we traveled down the road a ways. The bad thing was the jewel was somewhere around that village. Which meant we would have to go back and find it, but with night approaching I wasn't so determined to retrieve it at the moment.

"I could only smell flowers" he said as he released my arm.

"Yeah, they were everywhere. Even I could tell you that" I said as I walked next to Inuyasha.

"No I could _only_ smell flowers. I couldn't smell anything else. No humans, no animals, no life and no death. _Only_ flowers" he explained to me. If the person who we talked to wasn't alive or human then what was it?

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A/N: Hana is not a name it means flower in Japanese.

Please vote on the poll if you have not done so already, though it will be up for a long time any ways.

Also after we meet Sango and Miroku I will start needing ideas for demons (preferably original). Thank you!

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	68. Chapter 67: Creeping Vines

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 67: Creeping Vines

They creep and twist

Along the ground

In the shadows

Without a sound

"What the hell do you meant that they were flowers?" I asked, hoping that for once his nose was wrong.

"Listen wench, all I could smell was flowers and us. No humans, animals or fire. Whatever was in that village was probably a demon" he said. Really, never thought about that one. Flowers normally impersonate people and whole villages.

"Ya think?" I said after going over every possible sarcastic answer in my head before deciding on something that wouldn't end up with us in a big fight.

"Keh" he said as he continued to walk down the path we were taking.

"It is starting to get dark. We should find some place to stay for the night." I suggested as I looked towards the sinking sun above the trees that lined our path.

"There should be an out cropping or small cliff ahead." He informed me as he continued forward through the forest.

"Why would we need something like that?" I asked a little annoyed and slightly terrified that some plant monster was going to come after us.

"So that we only have to watch three sides tonight. We will keep our backs against the rocks" he said as he trudged on along the path. Couldn't say that I hated the idea. At least we wouldn't be in a cave where we could become cornered, but sleeping out in the open left us… well open. He was right, with a rock cliff or ledge behind us we would only have to watch three sides instead of four. Yet I still couldn't figure out why he was so moody and grumpy. It just baffled me.

Just as the sun was falling past the horizon we found a good place to make camp for the night. It was just as Inuyasha had said, a spot where we would only have to watch three sides instead of four. I set my bag down on the ground next to a tree that Inuyasha had chosen as his perch for the night.

"Wench aren't you gonna' make a fire?" he said curtly.

"No, dog boy. I'm not. A fire would let any enemies know where we are. For tonight a fire is a bad idea" I said and for some reason as the vestiges of faded from view I couldn't shake a feeling of uneasiness growing inside of me. I doubted I would get any sleep tonight. Not to mention it was the darkest night of the month. A new moon.

We spent the next hours in silence. Inuyasha up in the branches of the tree and me in its roots facing the forest that still surrounded us. I was right in my earlier assumption that I wouldn't be getting any sleep, because I kept all of my senses honed in on any sounds and my bow and arrows at the ready.

Though that was the unsettling problem. There were no sounds. No scurrying animals, no rustling leaves in the wind and no calls from any animal. It was as if the forest was dead. Under the light of the stars I could barely make out the outline of the trees that surrounded us, then I heard a twig snap. I didn't hesitate to react. I shot my arrow in the direction of the sound that was made. What I saw when my power exploded in blue light was vines. Thousands of vines all around us. They curled away from my power as it exploded as if they were burned. We were surrounded and we have nowhere to escape, so we have to fight.

"Inuyasha. Time to move" I yelled up at the tree, but didn't receive any reply, just rustling of branches. I drew another arrow and fired it at the tree. The poor tree was blasted along with the vines that encircled it and Inuyasha. I shot another arrow at the ground near Inuyasha to get the vines off of him. I then proceeded to cut the vines off of him, but when the vines were all gone from his body I noticed something. This person looked exactly like Inuyasha would if he was human…

"Inuyasha?" I questioned uncertainty lacing my voice.

"Keh! Who the hell do think it is wench" he spat angrily at me. Why he was angry when I just saved his life, I don't know. Though that didn't change the fact that he was.

"Okay, snippy, we need to move. Now" I commanded as I grabbed his hand and we both hauled ass. I shot arrows at the vines in our way and used my dagger when it was needed. All I was focused on was just getting us out of this forest and to as safe a spot we could find.

* * *

So I actually wrote this poem, this is only the second stanza, for this specific part of the story. I think it gives it that extra creepy feel. There are five or six so there will be at least that many chapters to till the end of the arc. Getting closer to Shippo and the Thunder Brothers. :)

Thank you for reading and please review and vote on the poll! :D


	69. Chapter 68: Death's Scent

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Also the F-bomb is dropped by Inuyasha in this chapter. Just thought to let you know.

Chapter 68: Death's Scent

Heaven's scent

They use to lure

Once they have you

There is no cure.

"You mind telling me why you look the way you do?" I yelled at Inuyasha as we ran for our lives through the dark forest. Inuyasha's hair was a charcoal black and his eyes were a dark violet instead of the bright gold they once were. Between the vines chasing us and Inuyasha looking very strange, I was confused as hell.

"Now is not a good time wench" he growled at me, or at least tried to as we ran for our lives.

"No shit! Though I would love to have the explanation for the appearance change" I yelled back at him; talking and running is not a good combination I might add.

"Like I said wench, not now" he yelled at me and I saw something fly past us and stick in the ground. It was a thorn the size of my foot. I reached behind me to grab another arrow to fire, but there were none in my quiver. We are in serious trouble. It was only a matter of time before one of those things hit us. I continued forward and Inuyasha did the same, but I could still hear the thorns hitting the ground close behind us. Inuyasha wasn't using his sword, which wasn't good, and I was reduced to using my dagger. Then again my dagger was only good for close combat. We are in deep shit. Really deep.

Though I then had an epiphany, or more like remembered my training I did in my head with Deysi. She was still teaching me how to make barriers, but she also talked about using my power as an extension of myself and using objects to funnel it. If I could charge something and then use my power as a long range attack then we might make it out alive…

Inuyasha's POV (I know it has been a while):

We are so screwed.

We are running for our lives from deadly vines in a fucking forest. We are _screwed_. Not to mention that this could not have happened at a worse time. I am human, which means that Kagome is the only with demon blood. That is not a good thing. Tetsaiga isn't transforming, I'm human, Kagome ran out of arrows and, oh, I'm HUMAN!

This was not a good situation. Nope. Not at all. Though in reality I just had to outrun Kagome, but she is damn fast. Then again she is my jewel detector and I need her because of it. Damn it!

"OSUWARI!" I heard right before I hit the ground. 'That bitch!' I thought, but then I saw a flash of bright blue light and heard the breaking of wood and the shrieking of whatever was following us and then silence. When I was able to get up off of the ground I saw Kagome kneeling with her bow in her hand and panting trying to catch her breath.

"What the hell did you do?" I asked her, not entirely sure it was safe to be around her at the moment.

"Killed them… that's all… that matters" she huffed out. When we were running she had no problem talking to me or using her powers, but why was she out of breath now?

"Answer me, wench" I demanded. Whatever she did, it obviously wasn't a good thing for herself.

"I just used up too much power at once is all" she said easier this time as her breath came back to her. "We need to move. The demon is coming back and it has jewel shards this time" she said. Now that really caught my attention. So this demon was stalking us and it had jewel shards. It also probably knew that Kagome has some as well.

"How many?" I asked as I unsheathed my sword and took a fighting stance. Then Kagome hit in the back of the head, hard. Being human meant it actually hurt.

"We run. If we fight now we will die" she said as she winced when she took a step. I looked down and saw a thorn stuck through her calf, tearing the pants she wore.

"Sit down. We need to pull it out" I informed her and made her sit down on the ground. When I touched it she made no wound, but I knew it was painful. "One, two…" I started then I abruptly pulled it out of her leg. She let out something that sounded like a groan of pain and a curse on my life. I then grabbed her torn pant leg and ripped a piece off then formed a bandage to lessen the bleeding.

"We need to move now" she said with urgency to her voice. At this point I wasn't going to argue with her. She was right and we need to get out of here. I sheathed my sword and then pulled her on my back. I didn't care what she said in protest, but we have to get out of this forest or we would die this time.

I ran as fast as I could with Kagome on my back and being human. I ran until I got us to a clearing in the forest, though by that time the vines had managed to catch up to us. I tripped and fell to the ground as Kagome was flung from my back. I looked up and saw Kagome take her dagger out of its sheath again, only this time it glowed blue and as time went on it grew brighter and brighter until it was blinding. I then saw her rear back and plunge the dagger into the ground. After that all I saw was black and all I could smell was the scent of burning flowers.

A/N: so this is far more fast paced than I expected it to be (at least this part of the arc).

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	70. Chapter 69: Ensnared

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but the OC's are mine.

Also there will be another F-bomb dropped in this chapter (these will not happen on a regular basis).

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Chapter 69: Ensnared

If you're captured

You are done.

You have lost

And they have won.

* * *

"To think that you hold so much power. Then there is the fact that you killed my precious children who were simply looking for dinner" said a demon that entered the clearing and walked up to Kagome, who was struggling to breath and was unable to get up. The demon had pale green skin, dark green hair and yellow eyes. Her Kimono was black with the same red flowers from earlier adorning it and dark green armor. Her nails were like large black talons and her eyes held a manic glint.

All Kagome could manage was a dry and choked snicker at the comment the demon made. The demon's face twisted into one of disgust and she reared her leg back and kicked Kagome square in the stomach and launched clear to the other side of the clearing into the tree line. Kagome fell unmoving onto the ground as she coughed up blood. "To think you used your powers the way you did. You are lucky that you didn't tear yourself to pieces the first time you used the way you did" she said snidely. "It is a good thing you didn't. My children will need you alive to feast on" she said as she lifted Kagome up off of the ground by her neck and slammed her against a tree. The wood cracked and creaked against the sudden force of the blow.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes and glared directly at the demon holding her. "Fuck you" she hissed and spat in her face. The demon looked at her with cold and unforgiving eyes and impaled her with vines that grew from her body. Kagome let out a choked scream as her eyes lost their brightness and she fell unconscious.

"You are lucky that I need you alive, but I don't need you conscious" she said as she held Kagome's limp form in her grasp. "Though him… he can die" she said as she waved her hand towards Inuyasha and let vines engulf him. She then left the clearing and walked off taking Kagome with her into the darkness of the night.

After she had left a figure emerged from the darkness with flames surrounding its clawed hands.

Inuyasha's POV:

"Guahhh!" I screamed out in pain because my body was engulfed in flames. After Kagome had released her power I must have lost consciousness, but it sure as hell is back. I could feel the fire burrowing under the skin of my arms and legs as if it was following something or looking for something. This is why I hate being human because it hurts so damn bad!

Then the fire stopped and I took in my surroundings. I rolled over and got my hands underneath me and pushed myself up. When I put weight on my arms I heard a crunching sound beneath my palms. I looked down and in the starlight I could see charred remains of something. In fact it was all around, under my cloths and in the blood from my wounds.

"I have saved you, now you must save the girl" said a female voice. I reached for my sword and turned to where the voice came from. Who I saw was a dark skinned demon with red markings, three long furry tails, long black hair that looked like the tips were on fire and eyes that were hardened and cold as if they had seen too many battles.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded from her.

"That is of no importance. If you do not do as I say the girl will die and so will you" she said and I drew my sword against her. She simply continued talking not fazed at all that I had a weapon. "You were lucky that I got here in time to burn those damn demon parasites off of you. You would have been dead by morning had I not" she informed me.

"Keh! I can take care of myself" I said not releasing my stance in front of her. I looked around the clearing, but all I saw were broken trees and ash lying everywhere. Kagome was not here.

"You finally noticed. Put away your weapon and pick up her dagger. We have little time before it is too late to save her. She is of great importance and is needed alive for now" she said. I needed to find Kagome, but I did not trust her at all.

"I don't give a fire rat's ass if you don't trust me, but you want to save her and I want her alive. If I could pick up that dagger then I wouldn't need you" she spat at me. At first I thought she was similar to my brother, but I feel like instead of them getting along she would rip his throat out. "If I wanted you dead I would have let the vines eat you alive" she said to me angrily.

I decided to test what she said and walked over to the dagger. I sheathed my sword and slowly reached down for the dagger. My fingers wrapped around the hilt and I picked it up off the ground. I noticed it was surrounded by a faint blue light. I was now able to see why the demoness had me pick it up. It held some of Kagome's residual power.

"Good. Now climb on" she said and I turned around, but shielded my eyes when she burst into flames. When the flames disappeared there stood a great hound in her place. It was the size of Sesshoumaru in his true form. It had black fur and smoldering ember eyes, there were red flame markings across its body and it had three long tails twitching behind it. Its face was like no dog I had ever seen. It held the ferociousness of a wolf and the grace of a fox. It was terrifyingly beautiful. Its head bent down and it grabbed the back of my haori with its teeth and placed me on its back. It then rushed forward, ripping through everything in its path including the wind.

I knew that this demon hound was the same demoness that was standing before earlier. If she decides to become an enemy I know I would never defeat her. Even as a human I could tell that her power is on par or even greater than Sesshoumaru's. I just hope to hell that she is on our side.

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A/N: Yay! I just love this character! :)

Alright, thank you for reading and please review! :D


	71. Chapter 70: Ashes

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but no touching my OC's!

OC: When am I going to get a name?

Me: you have a name.

OC: Yes and only you know what it is.

Me: it is on the poll.

OC: with how many other names meaning the same thing.

Me: probably about 7-10. Why?

OC: Really? Really!?

Me: yep. Though you don't really want anyone to know your name yet anyways.

OC: Touché.

Me: on with the story?

OC: Yep. Enjoy people.

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Chapter 70: Ashes

Roses are red

Violets are blue.

There's no escape

'Cause they're inside you.

I have absolutely no idea where I am, but something tells me I am in some other unexplored region of my mind. Why did I think that… well the spooky giant black and red door was a dead giveaway. Not only that, but there were no handles on the door or anything on the other side. If I had anywhere else to go I would have done that a long time ago, but lucky me I am surrounded by nothingness. Great. I'm trapped in my own mind with a giant, creepy door as my only friend. I have already walked around it and tried opening it with my mind… would that even work. I am inside of my mind after all… Hmmmm. Maybe I should touch it.

"I would not touch that if you have any intelligence" a cold voice said behind me. It is actually quite unsettling to have other voices in your head when they are not your own.

I turned around and saw the same beautiful priestess I had when I first entered my own mind. I have since assumed she is Kikyo, my preincarnation. "Why would you care if I did" I said to her in an icy tone. I wasn't in the mood to deal with one of my past lives.

"If you wish to be trapped here forever then open the door, but I assume you have far more pressing matters to attend to in reality" she said to me with a cold expression.

"If I can't touch or go through this door then how do I get out of here?" I asked her.

"You were given a choice that I was never given and chose the path of the Miko. If you are able to follow the path of the Miko, then you will be able to forge your own path away from this place" she informed in her ever icy tone. After she said that she disappeared from sight and I was left alone again.

I closed my eyes and focused on getting back to the garden inside of my mind. The more I concentrated the clearer the picture became. I opened my eyes again and saw a glow coming out of the darkness. I decided to leave the creepy door behind and follow the light back to the part of my mind I am most familiar with. Though, what I was greeted with was not the lush colors of life from the trees and flowers, but the greys and browns of death. My garden is dying and I have no way to stop it.

Inuyasha's POV and back to reality:

"Is this it" I asked the demon, still wary of her. She had shifted back to her humanoid demon form and now we are nearing the entrance to a cave that is surrounded by the same vines and flowers that were at the village before.

"I have no obligation to answer stupid questions" she replied. I have no idea who this demon is, but I hate her.

"Keh." I scoffed, refusing to reply to her. She then raised her hand up and placed it up against the vined entrance of the cave. I am lucky it is a clear night and the stars are out because otherwise I would not have seen the movement. Though even if it was pitch black outside I would have been able to see what happened next. Her hands started to glow as if fire itself was coursing through her veins. She then released bright orange flames from her fingertips and sent the flame along paths that I was unable to see. It snaked up the cave's wall and burned every vine and flower near it until there wasn't even ash left.

A scream suddenly came forth from the back of the cave and a demon came running towards the demon who wielded the flames. She stoic watched the demon come rushing towards her in a crazed rage. The demon simply reached behind her and took one of her from its place on her back. Once the demon was close enough she swung her sword in an elegant arc and struck the demon down in one blow. Like the vines she was incinerated and not even ash was left.

"Let's continue. The danger has passed for us" she said coldly as she walked into the dark cave from whence the demon came. I followed her into the darkness. She then called fire to her hand and used it to light our way. The closer we got to the end of the cave the more bones I saw scattered on the floor. I am getting a very bad feeling about what Kagome has gotten herself into.

Finally we arrived at the back of the cave and what I saw was disgusting and haunting. There were skeletons and corpses lining the walls, all in different stages of decomposition. Out of each of them were blooming vines that seemed to feed from corpses flesh. Then in a corner I saw Kagome. There were vines digging into her skin and I could see them move beneath her skin as they dug deeper into her body, like roots searching for water.

Just as I was about to rush to her the whole space was engulfed in flames. Everything was burning, just as it had outside of the cave. Everything was burning. Including Kagome.

I rushed forward to somehow stop the flames, but the demon beside me gabbed my arm and refused to let go. I screamed that she was dying and that I would kill her for what she did, but she ignored me and simply watched the flames. I turned back in horror to watch as Kagome sat there engulfed in flames as everything around her turned to dust.

The more I watched, the more I realized that Kagome wasn't burning. No the only thing that was burning were the vines and corpses littering the cave. Once the flames dissipated the demon let go of my arm. I walked over to Kagome, who was sitting up against the wall of the cave. All of the vines were gone, but as I looked closer at her body I saw movement beneath her skin. The vines were still alive inside of Kagome.

"Impale her with her dagger" the demon said as if it was the most sane thing in the world to say.

I gave her a look of anger and disgust. "Why the hell would I do that?" I questioned through clenched teeth.

"It holds some residual energy from her last attacks. It will purify the parasitic vines inside of her body, but you best hurry. She has only moments before I must burn her body and I doubt you would enjoy seeing that" she said to me with an expressionless face. Her ever cold red eyes staring at me in expectation.

"the right shoulder would cause her the least amount of damage" she said as if she meant to be helpful.

How the hell am I supposed to explain to Kagome that I had to stab her to save her?

Kagome's mind:

Everything was withering and dying. Weeds started to grow and choke the life out of everything in my garden and I had no energy to stop it. I called upon my power, but none would come forth. I was drained and I could do nothing as I literally watched my life slip away before my eyes. I really didn't want to die, I want to live and see my mom, brother and grandpa again. I want to see my friends again and get into trouble like we usually do. Heck, I even wanted to see Inuyasha again and have stupid fights with him. I also really did not want my last words to be 'Osuwari' and 'fuck you'. Not exactly ending it with memorable words Kagome. Suddenly I felt a searing pain in my right shoulder as if something had stabbed me and shattered the bone in the process. I screamed out in pain at the sudden feeling, but then I saw water, blue-green water, raising up out of the ground. It felt warm and inviting. As it rose the ground was quenched and the weeds were destroyed, but it still kept rising. Higher and higher, until it was far above the trees.

The funny thing is that in your mind you don't have to breathe or float. I watched as everything grew and changed. My small garden turned into a small forest. The grass grew up to my knee and the trees held colored flowers from vines winding harmlessly up their trunks. As the water receded it left behind a large lake with a rocky shore. The water itself was a dark blue-green and the rocks were all soft greys and creams. It was beautiful and it was so alive.

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A/N: so the next arc will end this arc and we will start the Shippo arc. After that I will introduce Sango and Miroku. Then we will just have to wait and see.

Thank you for reading and please review! Yay chapter 70 is done!


	72. Chapter 71: The Day After

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Though if I did this story would never have been written. :)

I apologize for the f-bomb again, but I just had to put it in!

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Chapter 71: The Day After

I sat there waiting for Kagome to wake up. The sun was getting higher in the sky and she was still unconscious. That demon had said that she had no intention of killing either of us, yet. Not exactly reassuring. Though she did save myself and Kagome, otherwise we both would have become fertilizer for that damn plant demon. When I stabbed Kagome all of the plats were disintegrated, but the wound in her shoulder was healing far slower than the wounds of the plants had. In fact it seemed as if it was barely healing at all.

Before the demon left she had said that Kagome was lucky she was alive. Her using that much power at once could have killed her. It was why the seals were in place in the first place. To control her powers and keep her safe. She said it was the same with my sword, though unlike my sword Kagome's seals were meant to break as she got older, but if one were to break suddenly then there would be no stopping each successive seal from breaking. If all of the seals were to break too close together, such as over the period of a month each, she would be at risk of dying from the strain on her body. After all she is only a quarter demon.

I glanced at the necklace that she constantly wore around her neck. The crystal that hung there seemed to be even more cracked that it had with the shadow demon I had killed. 'Is Kagome's seal close to breaking?' I wondered as I saw her stir and open her brown eyes.

"Osuwari" she said flatly.

I plummeted to the ground and I have done nothing to her… well I did stab her with her own weapon. "What the hell wench!" I yelled once I was able to get myself out of the dirt.

"That was for not telling me" she said bluntly as she sat up and rasped her shoulder in pain. I am sure it hurts like hell since I shattered the bone when I struck her there. She is lucky she has demon blood and it will go back to how it was in the first place. "Why the hell do I have a hole in my shoulder from a blade?" she asked as she examined her wound. She then looked at me with a not at all amused face.

"It was the only thing that could save you" I said to her and her eyes flashed understanding.

"Right, well you still owe me an explanation as to why you looked so… human" she said uncertainly.

"That's because I was human" I said to her and she simply raised an eyebrow in expectation of me explaining everything. I took a breath in and sighed before I continued, "Every hanyou has a time of weakness and we turn human. Mine is the new moon" I said simply, if she wanted any more explanation other than that then she has another thing coming.

"Great, now that I know you _trust _me enough to tell me that you turn human… oh wait. You didn't, until after we almost died" she said venomously.

"Keh, if you would have found the shard sooner we wouldn't have been in that mess" I said to her. It was true, if she was better at finding jewel shards then we never would have been in that mess.

"Well Mr. I-know-everything where are these jewel shards now?" she asked in a fake cheery voice that meant nothing good.

I opened my mouth to retort, but I honestly had no idea where the jewel shards were…

"See. You do need me. Since I also need your protection we need to trust each other" she said and got up off of the ground and walked into the cave that once held the demonic vines. When she returned she held two jewel shards in her hand. She then took out the bottle around her neck and added them to our total. "There now we have five" she said to me and started to look around for something.

"Wench what are you looking for?" I asked her as I sat on the ground.

"My pack" she answered. Right the bright yellow monstrosity she keeps everything in.

"Get on wench." I sighed as I got up off of the ground. We would move much faster if I was the only one running, especially since Kagome has an injured shoulder.

We made it back to where we were going to camp last night and everything was there. I left Kagome to make a fire so that we could eat something for breakfast. I went into the woods and managed to find a rabbit that we would be able to cook. After we ate and Kagome dressed her wound we set out looking for jewel shards again.

Once we were a ways away from the village of flowers Kagome looked at me as if she was studying something. "What is it now wench?" I asked her.

"Nothing. You just looked good as a human, but I like it better when you are a half demon" she said with a genuine smile.

Well that was really fuckin' unexpected. All I could was turn my head away to keep my blush a secret and my astonished face away from her vision. Where the hell did she learn to be so damn blunt?!

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A/N: yes Kagome said that. Yes there will be a few more blunt moments from Kagome.

Well this concludes the New Moon arc ( I know a lot of filler, but it was important I swear!). On with the Shippo and the thunder Brother's arc.

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	73. Chapter 72: Kit

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 72: Kit

Jeez you decide to compliment someone and they have the gall to ignore you. That is what I get for being a nice person. So then I have decided that Inuyasha is simply an ass. I'll just leave it at that.

First Inuyasha was moody because he was turning human and didn't want me to find out. Then after the shit hit the fan and everything was said and done I decide to compliment the guy. Then, what does he do? He ignores me for the rest of the day.

We have been walking for a few days after the last incident with the plant monster thing. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. Especially because that thing was under my skin. Literally. Though now we have five jewel shards, but I have no way of knowing exactly how many shards are left or if this quest will ever end. We just don't know…

Either way we have to complete the jewel and make it disappear from the world; even if that means Inuyasha can't become a full demon. No matter what the jewel has to be destroyed. It is a simple fact, but not one I have discussed with Inuyasha yet. He may be a problem…

We were walking along a river when I spotted something floating along the current. The closer it got better I could make it out. Just as it passed us I saw that it was a kid clinging onto a log, unconscious. I stopped walking and took my shoes and socks off before I jumped into the river. For being late in the summer the water seemed like it was freezing, but I had to get to the kid before he fell off the log and drowned. Lucky for the both of us the current wasn't all that strong, which meant I could get to shore easily.

Once I got to the kid I picked him up off the log and swam on my back until the river was shallow enough for me to walk. As soon as I got to shore I looked up and saw Inuyasha staring at me angrily.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he seethed. Then again I did jump into the river without even telling him what I was doing.

"Saving a kid" I said honestly.

"Wench. You have a hole in your shoulder" he said bluntly. Right… I'm still injured and the adrenaline is wearing off. I can feel pain again…

"Right… well at least the kid is safe" I said as I cradled him in my left arm. At least Inuyasha was courteous enough to carry my backpack for me, but I have the feeling that I would be carrying the kid.

"You should have let him drown" he said after he sniffed the air and took a good look at the boy in my arms.

"Why the hell would I let a little boy drown?" I seethed at him. I couldn't understand why he would have just wanted to let the kid drown.

"He is a fox demon Kagome" Inuyasha said to me and I looked down to take a good long look at the boy in my arms. He had elongated and tipped ears, like Sesshoumaru's. His small hands had claws like Inuyasha and his feet were that of a fox. Not only that, but he had a tail. Yep he is definitely a demon.

"Your point?" I asked him. I don't care if it is a human, demon, or half demon. If it is someone in trouble and they haven't tried to kill me then I have no problem trying to save them.

"It is a demon Kagome" he reiterated his point.

"Yeah I heard you the first time. Again what is your point about saving a kid?" I asked him again.

"Kit" he said to me.

"What?" I asked him confused.

"He is a kit. Probably no older than eight years old and that's human years Kagome. If he was abandoned by his parents then you should leave him be" Inuyasha said to me.

"I don't care if he is a demon or was abandoned. I am not going to just let him die" I said adamantly to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's POV:

This going to be on hell of a problem. Kagome and her 'mother instincts' are going to cause me so much trouble. I really don't want to carry around some abandoned kit. It is not safe to someone so young around us. Not only that, but the more people around us the more people will know about Kagome's heritage. Every time she uses a lot of her power her eyes change to blue instead of their normal brown color. Then there is the amount of power she can yield is also a dead giveaway. It is not safe for anyone who is with her; then we add the jewel and her ability to find it. It makes her the most valuable and dangerous person that I know.

"Kagome we are not keeping him" I said to her just as adamant. We are not going to keep some little fox demon because he had a bad day.

"Osuwari" I am going to kill her as soon as this rosary is off. Slowly and painfully.

"I never said he was going to be a pet, but I am not about to leave him out in the middle of nowhere soaking wet and injured" She said to me as she walked over and laid the kit on the grass. "Could you hand me my pack?" she asked me and I threw it to the ground at her feet after I managed to wretch my face from the ground. All she did was give me a dirty look, but she opened her pack without saying anything and took out a large piece of cloth and proceeded to dry the kit off. Once the kit was dry she took some spare clothes out of her pack and went into the woods to change. When she came back she was wearing baggy brown pants and a green shirt. Also she was carrying some wood for a fire. It looks like we wouldn't be going anywhere for the night.

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A/N: Okay so now we are starting to move fast. Yes the kit is Shippo.

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	74. Chapter 73: Stuck in the Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Thank you to Elfen Children for being the 90th reviewer!

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Chapter 73: Stuck in the Storm

I don't get what is wrong with helping people. I don't care if they are demons, hanyou or human. I just wouldn't have felt right if I had simply left him in the river. Besides he is a child and alone, or at least he was alone. He now has Inuyasha and me until we can find his family and bring him back.

Speaking of Inuyasha… he is still sulking across from us. He also keeps staring at the kit in my arms like it is going to get up and attack us at any second. Which I highly doubted that he would do. "Inuyasha, stop staring at him like he is the plague" I said to him across the crackling fire.

"Keh! I can do whatever the hell I want wench" he said as he kept staring at the kit in my lap. I figured I had sat him enough during the past few days so I simply picked up a stick and threw it at his head. Sadly he caught it. Then he proceeded to give me a nasty look, which I ignored. "We are not keeping him" he reiterated after he went back to staring at the kit in my lap.

"Inuyasha, if he has no place to go we can at least get him back to Kaede's village, but if he has a family then we can at least take him to them" I said in a calm voice as I stroked the kit's bright red hair in a soothing manner. As I did so the kit stirred a little, but then simply murmured a broken 'mom' and curled up even more in my lap. I looked at him sympathetically and then glared at Inuyasha, basically communicating with my eyes that we were not going to leave him alone. Inuyasha simply glared right back to me in the same manner, but his glare meant something else entirely.

In the far distance I heard thunder roll across the sky. We will have to move camp soon or we will be caught up in a storm. I sighed as I looked at the kit laying in my lap; then I looked at Inuyasha who was still staring at the kit. "Inuyasha we need to move camp. There is a storm coming" I said quietly to him.

"Keh. I knew that a while ago, but I am not moving until you get rid of that kit" he said adamantly.

"What the hell is your problem? He is just a kid!" I hissed at him.

"He is a demon" Inuyasha seethed.

"Not all demons are evil, just like not all humans are good" I stated to him. It is true, though I have yet to meet a good demon, but I believe that Inuyasha did last night. Simply by judging the fact that there were huge paw prints in the ground and everything was burnt at the cave.

"All demons are bad Kagome." Inuyasha retorted.

"Really? Then who killed that demon last night, because I highly doubt you had that power while you were human" I said with narrowed eyes as I tried to pry the truth out of him.

"Keh! You wouldn't know because you were unconscious. You are just lucky I saved your ass!" he said haughtily.

"Thanks. I'll remember how you had to _stab_ my _own weapon_ into me to save me. Next time I'll return the favor" I said in a sweet tone that was entirely fake. Now that I think about it I can't wait to repay him for what he did for me.

"Keh!" was all he responded and simply ignored my presence instead of going back to glaring at the kit in my lap. I carefully picked up the kit and then placed him on the ground next to me and started packing up camp, which was hard since I still have an injured shoulder. Once I had everything packed and put the fire out I hefted my pack onto my back and bent down to pick up the kit. I could feel the muscle and flesh pulling from my wound, but I needed to get somewhere safe before the storm got here.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?" Inuyasha said in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Somewhere safe and out of the rain" I answered honestly and headed into the forest to find shelter. I heard Inuyasha get up behind me and I could feel the unapproving vibes he was sending me. He was not a happy doggie. Maybe I should through him a stick… nope I already did that.

I chuckled to myself and continued on into the forest.

2 hours later:

My quest for shelter has turned up for naught because right now it is pouring down rain. The fact that Inuyasha refuses to be helpful doesn't help the situation. On top of that my wound aches tremendously, the kit is getting heavy and we probably have no way of making a fire. This is great.

We continued through the forest as mud stuck to our feet and legs and water weighed down our clothing. That was until a flash of lightening illuminated the side of a close mountain and I saw a cave on its side that we could use as shelter. Bingo!

I walked as fast as I could without slipping on the ground. After a good half hour in the rain we made it to the mouth of the cave and I rushed in to the slightly more warm air it provided. Unlucky for me I don't have another pair of warm clothes that are dry, but I do have a large t-shirt and shorts that should be dry. I hope.

"Inuyasha, could you get some fire wood for a fire?" I asked him as I tried to keep from shivering. With this storm the temperature had dropped dramatically and being in wet clothing is incredibly dangerous right now.

"Why should I wench?" he asked haughtily even though he was still in the same boat as me.

"If you don't, dog-boy, I will die and so will your chance of finding the jewel" I said bluntly. If I couldn't convince him by force then I can try blackmail.

"Fine" he said through clenched teeth and went back out into the storm. At that point I opened my backpack and found that nearly everything was soaked besides my sleeping bag, a t-shirt, change of under garments and a towel. This just went from bad to worse. I layed out everything that was wet and everything that was dry. I then proceeded to dry off the kit and then dressed him in the t-shirt that was dry. After that I stripped off my wet clothing and then dried myself with the towel. After that I put on my undergarments and wrapped my sleeping bag around myself. I huddled up against a wall of the cave and pulled the kit onto my lap to give him some extra warmth. I just hope Inuyasha gets back with the fire wood soon.

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A/N: for once I have nothing to say...

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	75. Chapter 74: In the Back of Your Mind

I don't own Inuyasha. That said, let's continue the story! :)

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Chapter 74: In the Back of Your Mind

The wench is so lucky she is valuable because there is no way that I would have gone back out in this storm when we finally found someplace dry to stay. Then again in order to stay dry and warm we need a fire and to make a fire we need wood and to get wood I need to get wet again. It was harder than hell to find relatively dry wood that we could use. I actually had to cut down branches from a tree in order to find wood that we could use for a fire.

Once I returned to the cave that the wench had found I we even more wet than when we had found the cave in the first place. I walked into the entrance and shook as much water as I could from my person and set the wood in a pile. I looked for the sack that the wench carried around and saw that nearly everything was dumped out and laying on the floor of the cave. I decided to take off my haori and kosodo then I rummaged through what was left in her sack and found the 'matches' that the wench always used to start fires.

After setting the fire I looked for where the wench was and saw that she was curled up around the kit against the opposite wall of the cave. She looked like mother keeping her pup warm for the night. It was strange seeing the wench like that. She didn't exactly seem like the mother type to me, but I do know that she has a kind heart. I don't really know why she was so insistent that we not leave the kit alone, but odds are that his parents aren't alive anymore.

I sighed and closed my eyes as I felt the warmth of the fire and let myself drift off to sleep.

Inside of Kagome's mind:

"You are the most ignorant and impulsive child I have ever met!" Deysi yelled at me. As soon as I closed my eyes I went, more like was pulled, to my garden and I encountered Deysi who immediately began to scold me about the fact that I couldn't use that much power at once when I wasn't used to it. Also not to use it in that fashion until I was trained enough. Which is why I am getting lectured…

"Yes you are getting lectured. You could have formed a barrier for you two to escape, but instead you chose the most dangerous and idiotic choice there was" she yelled at me like I am a little kid who got themselves caught stealing a cookie.

"You cannot use any of your power until you are completely healed or you could die, or worse force open one of your seals" she said to me with narrowed eyes. "I will leave you, because until you are healed we cannot train" she said and then simply disappeared from my garden. I looked around my garden, or more like forest, and saw that it was flourishing and held so much life and many different colors, but it was a little overwhelming. Maybe Deysi was right, what I had done was dangerous and stupid.

I sighed in defeat and closed my eyes to exit my garden and actually dream for once, since Deysi would always train me when I was resting my body. At least this time I can rest both my body and mind.

After Kagome had left her garden a dark figure of a large hound could be seen racing through the forest to the darkest and farthest part of where her garden could reach. Once the hound had reached its destination it shifted into a dark skinned beautiful demoness. She wore a black one-sleeved shirt with a burgundy breast plate and a black and silver corset at her midsection. A red sash adorned her hips and tight black pants clung to her like a second skin. Her boots went up to her knee and had blood red runes etched into the black leather. Her long, straight, black hair hung freely from her head and each piece faded to a dark red. Her nails were long and sharp. Her eyes were garnet in color and held a calmness and wisdom.

"It is good to see you again, this time we can talk" said a voice from beyond a wall of black thorns. When the demoness looked between the thorns she could see the aqua eyes of a demoness on the other side.

"Yes, though only for a short time. Deysi's hold on the girl is very strong." The demoness said back.

The aqua eyed demon chuckled, "I noticed that, but you have a very strange demeanor for a hell hound."

The hell hound smirked and responded to the unasked question, "You simply don't know me very well."

"Perhaps" the aqua eyed demon said.

"How close are the seals to being broken?" the hell hound asked seriously.

"The first will be the hardest to break, but after that the rest will be easy. It will take a tremendous strain on her to break the first seal. Hopefully within the next few months it will be broken" the aqua eyed demon responded.

"Good." The hell hound said and made a move to leave.

"I still have a few questions. How did you get your blood into the girl and what happens if either of you die?" she asked the hell hound whose back was to the thorny wall.

"You should know how I got my blood into her. You felt it too. If one of us dies… The world will no longer have one of the races" she said as she disappeared from Kagome's garden.

"Human or demon, huh?" the aqua eyed demon said to the darkness of her place in Kagome's mind. "I still can't believe that the damn bitch used the dagger to get her blood into the girl" she scowled then retreated to the darkness of her, essentially, prison.

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A/N: Shippo wakes up in the next chapter. Promise! :)

Thanks for reading and please review! :)


	76. Chapter 75: Power Overload

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 75: Power Overload

I woke up and saw that Kagome was still in the same position as she was before. The kit still hadn't woke up and the fire was getting low. Though at least the thunder and lightning had stopped, but the rain was still pouring down. I decided to put some more wood on the fire and wait out the rain before finding something to eat. I heard rustling over where Kagome was and looked over to see if it was her or the kit.

"Where the hell is your shirt?" Kagome asked dryly.

"I could say the same thing about you" I said as I turned my eyes away from Kagome, who was nearly naked. Why? I don't know. Though that doesn't change the fact that she is barely wearing anything.

"My clothes are drying" she said as I heard her get up from where she was and walk a little ways away and I heard her pick something up. "Well at least they are dry now. Sorry about the fact I forgot I wasn't wearing much. Then again you already saw me naked and I highly doubt that this would be much different or that you care" Kagome said in a relatively calm voice, which was weird. Usually I would be eating dirt right now.

"What the hell is up with you?" I asked her.

"What?" she looked at me confused. At least she had clothes on now.

"What the hell happened wench? You aren't acting normal" I said bluntly.

"Ah" she said as if she just realized that she was acting weird. "I got chewed out in my own mind" she said nonchalantly.

"What?" I asked her confused. I think she is going crazy.

"I'm not crazy" she scowled at me. "There is a spirit that trains me when I am asleep, which is in my mind. I swear that I am not crazy" she said in her normal challenging voice. At least she was back to normal, but I still think she is crazy.

"Keh" was all I said, feeling that it was a safe enough answer. Then I heard the rustling of the bag Kagome was in and saw the kit sit up and wipe his eyes. He looked around then his eyes landed on us and he blinked a few times.

Then he opened his mouth and a shrill voice came out. "Wahhh! Who are you? Why am I here? Don't make me have to kill you" he shouted, all the while shaking in one of Kagome's shirts. Well at least the kit is awake now.

Kagome's POV:

The kit that was in my sleeping bag had woken up and started asking us questions and not giving us time to answer. Although it was cute how he tried to seem threatening even though he wasn't. Either way, the kit deserved answers and I didn't want him to give Inuyasha a reason to kill him because I know that is what he is doing right now. "I'm Kagome and this is Inuyasha. We saved you from a drowning in a river" I said honestly.

"I don't believe you" the kit said stubbornly, all the while shaking in my t-shirt.

"You don't have to, but it would be wise if you did. Especially since this storm isn't over" I said calmly as I sat down next to Inuyasha who was glaring at the kit. The kit simply glared back at us and tried to look as menacing as he could. "Listen. If we wanted to do something to you then we already would have. Inuyasha actually wanted to leave you in the river" I said as I pointed to said hanyou.

"Oi!" he growled at me. I don't know why, I was only telling the truth. Then again the truth hurts sometimes, too…

"Thanks." He said curtly, "though I never asked for help from a half demon and human" the kit spat.

That's it. He's going to get it. Though I first want to get one thing straight, "I never said I was hu-mhph!" I started to say, but Inuyasha clamped his clawed hand over my mouth. I don't really get what the big deal is, but right now I feel the desperate need to discipline the kit and sink Inuyasha in the ground.

"Leave" Inuyasha said as he gave a deadly glare to the kit across the cave from us. "If you do I won't kill you" he spat. I could feel the rage rolling off of him from the kit's comment. Saying that Inuyasha is a half demon is almost always an insult and a means to demote him. Hence why I am currently pissed at the kit. He has no right to judge Inuyasha simply because one of his parents are human. If I could change one thing in this twisted world that would be it.

The kit picked up his clothes from the ground and quickly changed them before he went back out into the storm, but not before shooting off another insult. "As a half demon even your threats are useless."

After he said that I felt my blood boil. I could feel my power bubbling beneath my skin itching to get out. I felt my wound burn and my skin felt heated.

"Ouch! Damn it! What the hell wench?" Inuyasha questioned as he let go of my mouth and jumped away from me. I ignored him as he nursed his burnt hand and walked to the mouth of the cave.

"Where the hell are you going wench?" he shouted at me and grabbed my shoulder, but quickly let go as soon as he touched me. I knew my power was starting to go out of control, but I at least had to get out of where Inuyasha was so that I could blow off some steam… or energy…

I walked out into the rain and back into the forest. As soon as I was far enough away from the cave I tried to gather all of the energy into my hands. It hurt like hell to do this. My hands felt like they were going to melt and the more power I put into them the more that feeling grew. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be purified.

I then punched my hands into the ground next to a tall tree and saw my power burst from it into the sky like a bolt of blue lightning. I heard a squeal of terror from my right and saw the kit cowering against a nearby tree. He looked at me in horror, but was frozen in fear. "Y-y-y-you a-a-are a d-d-divine demon!" he screamed at me.

"Yeah. So what?" I asked dryly. Deysi was right. I shouldn't use my powers until I am completely healed. I didn't want to look at my hands because I knew they were burned badly and my wound felt as if it was on fire. That and because of the fireworks show I am exhausted. Though the tree was in worse shape than me.

"Since he knows we can't have him tell anyone else" Inuyasha said as picked the kit up by his tail, which earned another shriek from the kit. "Oi, you okay wench?" Inuyasha asked me as he held the struggling kit in his hand.

"Yeah" I said as I started to get up, then hunched over and started coughing. Ever since I came to this era it has been nothing, but bad news. Is it too much to ask for a relaxing sunny day that doesn't involve me being injured?

"Then again… maybe not" I said as my fit subsided. From the taste in my mouth what I coughed up was blood.

"You are a pain in the ass" Inuyasha said annoyed as he picked me up with his other arm and held me like a sack of flour over his shoulder.

"Hey!" I yelled at him.

"Listen wench, you need to get dry, I need to get dry and we need to figure out how to deal with this fox knowing your secret" he said and I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was not amused and glaring at the scenery in front of him. That isn't our only problem. I don't think I will be very good in a fight if keep purifying myself. I don't really feel like looking like an over cooked marshmallow the next time I use my dagger or bow.

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A/N: Okay so Shippo is now awake and has to answer for what he said to Kagome and Inuyasha. Well we will see how that turns out in the next chapter.

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	77. Chapter 76: Shippo

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Nope, not mine.

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Chapter 76: Shippo

We finally reached the cave and let me tell you I am not happy. Nope not at all. My hands and wound hurt like hell and I really don't appreciate being carried like a sack of flower. Inuyasha dropped me on the floor and flung the kit into the back of the cave. Then he put some more wood on the fire.

"Inuyasha" I growled, which was hard to do since I wasn't a dog demon.

"You say it wench and I will throw you back out into the storm" he said to me with narrowed eyes. I got the gist of what mood he was in just by looking at him. He was pissed…

"This is the third time you nearly purified me. Not only that, but what the hell happened this time with your hands and why is your wound bleeding again?" he asked not very amused. His eyes shifted to the other side of the cave where the kit was moving along the wall. "Move towards the entrance of the cave and I'll make sure you never move again" he seethed and bared his teeth. The kit let out a yelp and scurried back to the back of the cave.

"I hit the ground too hard and that caused my hands to look like this and my wound to open" I lied. Most definitely not the best lie I ever told.

"Don't lie to me wench" he said as he roughly grabbed my hands. I winced, but he didn't seem to care. "These are burned, not cut" he said as he held my hands and glared at me. I figured he would see through it, but it doesn't hurt to try.

"It's nothing" I said through clenched teeth.

He growled menacingly at me before he decided to speak again, "You said you trusted me wench, so why are you lying to me?" he questioned with narrowed eyes and an angry face.

"I do trust you, but like I said it is nothing" I said and looked to the side. Though that didn't last long. Inuyasha roughly grabbed my chin and pulled me closer to him so that I could get a good look at his eyes. They were a churning gold filled with anger and maybe a smidgen of worry. Anger at me and at the fact that I refused to tell him what was going on. I just have no way to tell him that I am purifying myself.

"You look like what demons look like if they were purified" the kit quipped from the back of the cave. At his statement Inuyasha's eyes looked slightly worried.

"Is that true wench?" he growled at me.

"I'm healing so it is alright" I said in defiance. I wanted to get Inuyasha to let go of me as soon as possible because personal space is becoming an issue.

"Wench" I heard him growl right before I heard a tearing sound. I really liked that shirt too.

"Hey what the hell?!" I screamed at him, but only received an even more angry expression in return. I looked down as much as I could at my shoulder and saw that it was bleeding and had red angry flesh with blisters. It was not a pretty sight. I looked at my arm and saw that there were twisting angry red marks all along the length of it. If I were to do a complete body inspection I would find the red marks all along my body from top to bottom. I then looked at Inuyasha's hand that was holding a piece of my ripped shirt and saw that his hands were burnt as well.

"I'm sorry" I said quietly; I had never meant to hurt Inuyasha. In fact that was the express reason I left the cave in the first place.

"I don't need apologies wench. I need answers" he stated in an irritated tone.

"Fine. Yes I was purifying myself. Not on purpose though" I said to him while looking away. I felt his hand release my chin, but I could still feel him glaring at me. I sighed and went into more detail about how the two attacks I used a few days ago had put my life at risk and until I am completely healed I shouldn't be using any of my powers. After I was done explaining everything Inuyasha was still glaring at me. "What?" I asked him.

He narrowed his eyes at me then started to speak. "Don't anything stupid, wench" he said then turned towards the fire. Of all the crap he could have said he had to say that…

"What are we going to do with the kit" he said as he pointed to the back of the cave.

"Well first of all he needs to apologize" I said and gazed over to where the kit was situated in the back of the cave.

"As if I would apologize to your ki-" he started to say, but I interrupted him in the form of a threat. I just wasn't in the mood for crap from a fox kit after basically admitted defeat to Inuyasha.

"Apologize now or I will purify you so that only dust remains and not even your ancestors will be able to find your soul" I scowled at him. He let out an 'eep' and quickly went up and apologized to Inuyasha and me.

"Good now that that is settle. Why don't you tell us your name?" I asked the kit in front of us who didn't exactly seem very comfortable being in a cave alone with just Inuyasha and me.

"I… I'm Shippo" he said quietly. Well at least we don't need to call him kit all of the time.

"Great now that we know the runt's name, what are we going to do?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Then again Inuyasha probably can't be helped…

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A/N: I don't really have anything to say except to ask you to take my poll, but it is going to be up for a long time so no rush. (seriously, there is absolutely no rush)

Either way, Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	78. Chapter 77: Lack of Subtlety

Disclaimer: No I do not own Inuyasha, but the OC's are mine.

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Chapter 77: Lack of Subtlety

Subtlety wasn't always my strong suit, but then again in this situation it is probably better to just rip it open. "So why were you floating down the river half dead?" I asked Shippo. I sat next to Inuyasha and Shippo was just sitting across the fire staring into the yellow and red flames. He didn't say a thing, but he did draw his knees closer to his body and stared more intently at the fire than before I asked that question.

I sighed and decided to ask a different question, but by his reaction from the first question he would probably not be inclined to answer this one. "Shippo, where are your parents?" I asked him in a calmer and kinder tone. He simply hid his face and drew into himself even more than before. "Shippo please tell me what happened" I asked the small kit.

He lifted his head up just enough to let me see the tears brimming in his eyes. Even with the tears in his eyes I could see the anger he held. "They're dead" he said in a surprisingly level voice then returned his face to his lap.

"Keh! So are ours" Inuyasha said brashly. Honestly I don't think he even knows what the word subtlety means.

"Hey! My mom's still alive!" I said to him and punched him in the arm.

"Yeah, but not your blood mother. She is dead" he said with conviction.

"You don't know that! They could have just abandoned me" I screamed at him. Though deep down I knew they were dead. They probably died a long time ago.

"You don't really believe that. Besides humans may abandon their young, but demons look after their own. So long as they are not hanyou" he said to me with slight pain in his voice that I was barely able to pick up on. Inuyasha never knew his father, but then again I can't remember mine either…

"Your parents left you with humans?" Shippo asked somewhat curious.

"Yeah… I don't remember them at all though." I replied. Now that I think about it I really don't know much about myself. I took out the jewel shards that I kept around my neck and looked at their pale pink appearance, hoping that they would hold answers to my questions. Why am I the last of my race? What happened to the rest of them? What happened to my parents? Am I really from the future?

"You have jewel shards?!" Shippo asked surprised and scurried over to where we were sitting.

Inuyasha growled at Shippo as he got closer. "There is no way in hell you are getting them" he scowled. Shippo backed up, but glared at Inuyasha for a long time after that.

"Were you going to take these Shippo?" I asked him in as unaccusing tone as I was able to manage.

He simply changed his glare from Inuyasha to me. Which is understandable since I did threaten to purify him. "You aren't using them and I can so that I can avenge my father" he said to me in a demeaning tone.

"You can't use them Shippo. If you did you wouldn't just stop at avenging your father. Not only that, but if you did use them then I really would have to kill you" I said to him in a cold and honest tone. "The reason why Inuyasha hasn't taken them is because he wants the whole jewel to become a full demon, but I want to complete the jewel to destroy it. It has caused nothing but trouble and misery" I started to explain, but Inuyasha interrupted me.

"Oi! There is no way in hell you are going to destroy the jewel, besides you have no way of doing it right?" he yelled at me.

"I remember a story my grandfather used to tell me about the jewel, that it disappeared after someone made the correct wish and that, supposedly, after the jewel was gone the world changed" I said and Shippo, who didn't know I am from the future, looked incredibly confused.

"What do you mean your grandfather said it disappeared?! You have pieces of it right there!" he squealed.

"I am from 500 years in the future, Shippo. It is why I dress differently than people here. As I was saying, the jewel would only cause you to die by my hands or someone stronger who was after the jewel. All the demons who I encountered that had a fragment of the jewel were bloodthirsty monsters and I highly doubt that all of them were like that to begin with" I said as I explained to him what we had experienced. As I was explaining he looked more and more discouraged and Inuyasha refused to even look at me.

"Even if you can't use the jewel to avenge your father I'm sure I can at least help you. You are a demon after all" I said after I was done explaining to him about our run-ins with past demons.

Shippo looked at me with hope in his eyes; that was until Inuyasha decided to open his mouth. "Not a chance wench. We have to find the rest of the jewel" he said stubbornly. This is why I simply can't bring myself to completely like the jerk. He is like that one asshole friend you always have and never lets you forget it.

"Osuwari" I said and continued to talk to Shippo, "Like I said. I can help you, Inuyasha doesn't have to come, I just need time to recover and I need to know your story" I said and ignored Inuyasha's curses on my life.

"Really?" he asked me, not daring to hope too much because of Inuyasha.

"Yeah, but I don't know how long it will take me to recover fully" I said to him with a small smile.

"Okay. Thank you Kagome. You're not as bad as I thought you were" Shippo replied with a small smile of his own. Though I wasn't sure if his comment was a compliment or not. Oh well…

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A/N: Okay so... I have just been busy lately and that is why there has been no update. Though today I am nursing a twisted knee from skiing last night so I was able to write this.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for reading and please review!


	79. Chapter 78: Dreams or Memory

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 78: Dream or Memory

The storm had died down in the past two days and my burns were healed from my last outburst that probably killed a tree. We had learned that Shippo lost his mother when he was far smaller and that his father was killed by the Thunder Brothers, Hiten and Manten. Another thing that we found out was that Shippo hid a jewel shard that his father was keeping safe. The jewel was why the Thunder Brothers had killed Shippo's father, I am sure of it.

Another theory I have is that they are searching for that shard and others along with it, which means that they are after Shippo. The fact that we have so much of the jewel and are taking care of Shippo may not be such a good thing now that I think about it. Inuyasha was getting another meal and probably more firewood at the moment. I looked over to Shippo, who was sleeping in my sleeping bag. I threw another log onto the fire right before I got up and went over to the kit. I decided to get some shut eye and curled myself around Shippo as best I could. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

_"__Dad where's Momma?" I questioned someone who I didn't quite recognize. He had caring violet eyes and dark red hair. His face was drawn with worry as he ran forward._

_"__She will be fine. I promise" he said with a smile. "We are just going to pay Grandpa a visit for a little bit" the man I assumed was my father, or was supposed to be, said._

_"__Why are you lying?" I asked with a shaky voice as my eyes blurred with tears._

_"__Kagome… No matter what happens I will always love you and so will your mother" he said to me as I clung to his chest and sobbed. I knew something was happening, but I didn't know what._

_"__Rinne" a deep voice said beside us and I looked over to see a demon with long black hair tied in a loose braid behind his head. His eyes were a piercing bright blue and his face held worry and sadness. _

_"__Dad. You have to take Kagome. They found us" my father, who was named Rinne said._

_"__Come with me I will get you both to safety. Then I will find Hitomiko" the demon said._

_"__Dad… Take Kagome" Rinne said with a sorrowful voice._

_"__Wha…" the demon started to say as he took me in his arms, but after he took a good look at his son he saw what he was talking about. Rinne had a large red stain on his clothes at his mid-section._

_"__Hitomiko's gone" Rinne said, his voice sounded weak and pained._

_Without a second thought the demon holding me began to run. I watched as my father faded into the distance all the while I cried out for him. Hoping that he would continue with us, but I never saw him again._

_"__Akihiro, what has happened" another deep voice asked the demon that was holding me. Through my teary eyes I saw that it was another demon, except this demon had white hair and piercing gold eyes. Even though I couldn't clearly see him I knew who he was. It was Sesshoumaru._

_"__Sesshoumaru… it is too late. After I have given Kagome sanctuary away from this place you must do what we discussed" Akihiro said with finality in his voice. He was convinced that this was the only way. I saw Sesshoumaru's eyes steel and become even colder than before. His face held no expression at all._

_"__Grandpa where's Dad? Where's Dad?" I wailed over and over again with tears clouding my vision. I could tell that we were running through a forest now and I could have sworn that I just saw a glimpse of red, but that was the farthest thing from my mind. I didn't know what was going on, but I felt a chill run up my back and I couldn't help the fear that crept into my mind._

_We suddenly stopped in the middle of a clearing and Akihiro started to talk. "Kagome we are going to play a little game" he told me and I looked up at him with the tears still filing my eyes. "I want you to think of all the happy things you did with your Mom and Dad and me. Okay?" he asked in a reassuring voice, but I could tell there was something wrong in his voice, but I still decided to play his game._

_"__Otay" I sniffled as I looked into his bright blue eyes. I thought of all the happy things we did together. We played tag and layed out in the sun and looked at the clouds together. I was just starting to learn how to harness my powers and we were going to see someone to make me a weapon like my father and grandfather, we… we… we…_

_After a few seconds I didn't remember anything and I fell asleep in the large and strong arms holding me. For some reason they felt safe and comfortable. I felt myself smile as I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up I was in a strange place with strange ceilings and strange smells. I was laying on something soft and smelled like flowers. "Momma?" I asked out loud and a woman with short wavy hair came into the room followed by a man with short black hair. _

_"__Oh good dear, you are awake" said the woman._

_"__Momma?" I asked, unsure that I knew this person._

_"__Yes Kagome this is your mother. You didn't actually forget us did you?" asked the man with a kind, yet teasing voice. The woman… my Mom simply giggled at me and my Dad smiled. He picked me up and we went into a room where there was food and he set me down on a chair as we all ate the food that was there._

I woke up when I felt someone gently shake my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Inuyasha looking at me with his hand on my shoulder and his eyes filled with worry. That was strange; he rarely shows any of that emotion.

"Wench" he started, but obviously didn't know how to continue his sentence.

"What?" I asked a little more snippily than I had wanted. I saw his eyes go from worry to annoyed and I took a quick breath then tried again. "Sorry, what is it?" I asked him in a far softer tone than before.

"You were cryin' in your sleep" he said in an uncharacteristically caring tone.

"I was not…" I said to him, but as I reached up to touch my cheek I felt the slightly warm water that was on my skin. I had been crying in my sleep. Then I remembered the dream I had. It was so sad…

"What happened wench?" Inuyasha asked as he sat down next to me.

"Nothing" I said blankly and I got up, careful not to disturb Shippo as he slept.

I was about to walk away when Inuyasha grabbed my arm. "It wasn't nothing" he said to me as his hand was wrapped around my wrist.

"Maybe not, but I don't want to talk about it." I told him and to my surprise he said nothing back to me. I looked out at the mouth of the cave and saw that it was turning to night and that it was only slightly drizzling. "I… I am going to sit outside of the cave" I told him and started walking to the cave entrance. Inuyasha let my wrist go without any protest, but I could still feel his gaze on my back as I walked out of the cave. I didn't care though. I had far too much to sort out right now. Though what I want to know is if that was simply a dream or if it was actually a memory. I have this horrible feeling that it was a memory and if it was then I have to find a way to talk to Inuyasha's half-brother. I need to know the truth.

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A/N: so I had writers block and decided to revisit the whole dream thing.

Thank you for reading and please review. :)


	80. Chapter 79: Fears and Lullabies

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Thank you Elfen Children for being the 100th reviewer! I can't believe I already have 100 reviews...

I do, however, own the lyrics in this chapter. I wrote them entirely on my own and if there is anything out there that is the same I guess I think similarly to someone else.

Either way, on with the story! :)

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Chapter 79: Fears and Lullabies

When I came back to the cave after finding some more wood and a rabbit for us to eat I saw Kagome and the runt sleeping together next to the fire. I set to cooking the rabbit when I heard Kagome draw in a shaky breath. I looked over to Kagome and saw that there was wetness on her cheeks. I then smelled the saltiness of tears coming from where she was. She was crying in her sleep.

I placed the rabbit on a stick and walked over to where Kagome lay. Her face was twisted with sadness as tears ran down her face. It didn't sit well with me. I hate it when women cry, I always have. Whenever I see a woman cry it makes me think of my mother.

"Kagome" I said softly, but it didn't wake her. That worried me. She usually wasn't that sound of a sleeper. If I were to stare at her for long enough she probably would wake up. I placed a hand on her shoulder and lightly shook her in an attempt to wake her up. To my relief she slowly opened her eyes. "Wench" I said, not exactly sure how to ask what she was dreaming about.

"What?" she asked me curtly. Well, now I know not to worry about her anymore. "Sorry, what is it?" she asked me again in a softer tone than before.

"You were cryin' in your sleep" I said bluntly, but there was still this nagging feeling that something was wrong.

"I was not…" she started, but stopped as soon as she felt the wetness against her cheek.

"What happened wench?" I asked her. I sat down in hopes that she would explain to me what happened. The last time she had a dream she refused to tell me about it, which still bothered me.

"Nothing" she lied to me. I knew it wasn't nothing. With her it was never nothing.

I grabbed her wrist when she got up and tried to leave. "It wasn't nothing" I said to her.

"Maybe, but I don't want to talk about it" she said as she averted her gaze away from me and towards the mouth of the cave. "I… I am going to sit outside of the cave" she said and this time I let her go. Even I understood when someone needed to be alone, but that didn't mean that I liked it when the wench didn't let me in on her problems. Apparently we don't trust each other as much as I thought we did.

"Mmmm…" the runt grumbled as he wiped sleep from his eyes and looked around the cave. "Where's Kagome?" he asked me when he got his bearings and finished looking around the cave. The damn runt is way too used to being around us. Not to mention how attached he has gotten to Kagome.

"She's outside" I said to him as I was checking our meal. I heard him get up and start walking to the mouth of the cave. "Leave her alone, runt. She doesn't want to be around anyone right now" I said as I tore a piece of meat and placed it in my mouth. For me it was done enough, though I have no problem eating raw meat.

"But…" the runt said, but I silenced him by telling him to leave her alone again. "Fine" he pouted as he sat down next to fire. Though he continued to scowl at me until Kagome decided to come back inside of the cave.

"Oh, Shippo you're awake" Kagome said as she wrung her hair out at the entrance to the cave. It had started to rain harder again. I have no idea why these storms are lasting so long. It's strange. "Thanks Inuyasha for dinner. I'm starving!" she exclaimed. She was acting as if nothing happened. I don't know it that should make me glad or worried. Then again I never really knew what to expect from Kagome. She did almost purify herself a few days ago…

As we were all eating a flash of lightening streaked the dark sky and a crack of thunder resounded outside of the cave. Once the thunder sounded the runt let out a shriek and launched himself at Kagome. Who knew the runt was afraid of thunder storms; though I guess it did make sense.

"Shippo it's okay. It's just thunder" Kagome said softly as she held the runt in her arms.

"I'm scared" he said as he tried to hold onto Kagome's wet clothes even tighter.

"It's okay, it's okay, you're safe" Kagome soothed as she coddled the runt. "Shippo, if you calm down I will sing you a lullaby" Kagome said, now I was curious. I have never heard the wench sing.

She started to hum a melody; then she opened her mouth and started to sing softly.

**Hush now dear child**

**Don't you cry**

**And I will sing you a lullaby.**

One that will take you

To a land of dreams

As I hold you close

All through the night.

**Hush now dear child**

**Don't you cry**

**And I will sing you a lullaby.**

Sleep now dear child

As I hold you close.

Sleep soundly tonight

Forget your fears and fright.

**Hush now dear child**

**Don't you cry**

**And I will sing you a lullaby.**

Sleep now dear child

As I hold tight

Fell my warmth all through the night.

Even if I am gone by morning's light.

**Hush now dear child**

**Don't you cry**

**And I will sing you a lullaby.**

Sleep now dear child

All through the night

But remember my lullaby

I sang you this night.

Kagome kept singing the lullaby until Shippo's breathing evened out and he was asleep. Kagome's voice was comforting and soft. It wasn't breathtaking, but it sounded nice. It reminded me of when my mother used to sing to me.

"I'm going to change" she said suddenly and I looked to see her placing the runt on her sleeping bag. I turned around to give her a semblance of privacy as she changed from her wet clothes. I turned around after I heard no more rustling of fabric only to see Kagome sitting next to the runt with her arms around her knees. Her eyes were staring at the fire with a sad expression.

"Kagome?" I asked, I wasn't in the mood for more tears, in fact if she never cried again that would be great.

"My mother used to sing it to me when I was small" she said solemnly, not taking her eyes off of the fire.

"Don't worry wench your mother is safe in your own time" I told her. She is probably just worrying for nothing and getting way too emotional.

"My birth mother used to sing it to me" she said to me as she tried to bury her head in her knees. I didn't know that Kagome knew anything about her birth parents, but I'm betting that my hunch her parents were dead was correct.

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A/N: okay, besides the lyrics being mine all I have to say is that I would like people to take my poll I have up on my profile. You don't have to read my profile, the poll is at the top of the page.

Thank you! :)

Thanks for reading and please review. :D


	81. Chapter 80: Blackmail

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

For those of you who actually read the notes, please vote in my poll. :)

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Chapter 80: Blackmail

When I went out into the storm bits and pieces of memories came back to me, like the smell of my father's clothes or the lullaby my mother used to sing to me. They were just tiny pieces of information, but I cherished them. I couldn't remember what they looked like or what we did together when they were alive, but I did remember the dream I had. I needed to know the truth, both about what was chasing us and why I was alone when I came to this time. Another thing that puzzled me was if the well could have brought me to this time, why did it bring me here when it did? Why not earlier or later in life? Why now?

"What?" Inuyasha asked me in confusion. Right I said that the lullaby was from my birth mother… How do I explain this one?

The way I figure it, I could either tell the truth or lie to him. Though the fact that I am not that good at lying meant I really only have one option. I have to tell the truth, or at least part of it. "I started to remember pieces of memories from my birth parents" I said as a flash of lightning lit up the sky outside. "Someone took my memories, I think. I'm just starting to get them back" I said to him as I fingered the cracked pendant that hung from my neck. In all honesty I am afraid of the seals breaking. Afraid of the memories and afraid of the change that they would bring. I feel like I am powerful already and I have no idea what will happen when all of my power is released.

"Is that a good thing?" Inuyasha asked me with only slight interest.

"I don't know" I said honestly as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Keh, what are we gonna do with the runt?" he asked me as he looked to Shippo's sleeping form.

"I intend to help him. If Shippo's story is true then the Thunder Brothers have jewel shards of their own. We can use Shippo's and our shards as bait to lure them out and then take their shards" I explained to Inuyasha as I stared at the fire.

"That's a great plan, except we have no idea where they are" Inuyasha scowled at me.

"I have a feeling that they are nearby searching for Shippo or his piece of the jewel. That is if this storm is any indication. This weather doesn't seem normal" I said to him as another flash of lightening and crash of thunder resounded outside of the cave. "So long as they know what Shippo looks like then they should be able to find us" I explained and then let loose a yawn. I was somewhat tired, but I didn't want to sleep. I didn't want any more memories to return; right now I am happy knowing what I do. My father's name is Rinne, my mother's name is Hitomiko and my grandfather's name is Akihiro. 'Akihiro… it sounds familiar, but I can't remember where I had heard it before…' I thought to myself as I sat in the cave with Inuyasha and Shippo.

"Who's to say that they won't just try and kill us before we have a chance to kill them?" Inuyasha said with amusement in his voice. He was getting just as tired as I was of staying in this cave.

"No one. We'll just have to kill them first, or at least just take their shard… when the hell did I become a murderer?" I wondered out loud. Truthfully I have never killed a human and all of the demons we had killed so far was because of self-defense. Now, though, we would be actively searching out a pair of demons to steal from and kill. It didn't seem right…

"Wench, if we don't kill them first they will kill us" Inuyasha said with certainty in his voice. "You're not a murderer Kagome. You are just unlucky" Inuyasha said to me as he reclined against the wall.

"Thanks for that dog-boy" I said back to him with heavy sarcasm. He glared back at me when I used my nickname for him; he really did hate it.

"Get some rest Kagome" he said to me when I yawned again and threw another log onto the fire.

"I don't want to sleep" I said as I stood up and stretched. "You get some sleep. We are leaving the cave tomorrow" I said as I walked up to the mouth of the cave.

"Don't give me orders wench" he growled at me and I heard him get up. "Sit down and sleep" he said and forcefully dragged me back into the cave.

"Hey" I yelled at him and he clamped a hand over my mouth. I am going to 'osuwari' his ass.

"I don't want to hear the runt complain about the weather again" he hissed at me and I glanced over to Shippo, who was still asleep. Thank goodness.

Inuyasha pushed me to the ground and then started to walk away. "Osuwari" I said. If I have to sit down and sleep against my will then so will he.

"What the hell wench" Inuyasha hissed at and glared at me, silently promising that he would kill me some day.

"I just thought to remind you that I can make you sit anytime I want" I said sweetly. Revenge tastes the sweetest when the other person knows there is no way out of it. I just continued to smile at Inuyasha as he muttered curses under his breath. "I say that we both keep watch, since neither of us wants to sleep" I proposed and Inuyasha simply kehed and sat down next to me. I looked at him curiously. I mean seriously, why would someone who you just slammed into the ground with an enchanted rosary want to sit next to you?

"If you try the rosary again, I am not the only one ending up in the ground, wench" he said with a smirk and leaned up against the wall with his sword leaning on his shoulder. At least he answered my unspoken question.

Shippo's POV:

I felt a little cold and so I woke up to see the fire nearly out. I looked around the cave to ask Kagome to put some more wood on the fire, but just as I was about to ask her I closed my mouth and smiled. Kagome and Inuyasha were leaned up against the wall. Inuyasha had his sword standing up in his lap and his head was nodded forward. Kagome had her head on Inuyasha's shoulder and was breathing lightly.

I snickered to myself and found some more wood to put on the fire. After it was warm in the cave again I curled back up into Kagome's strange futon and went to sleep. Though I wouldn't forget what I saw. If I ever needed black mail on Inuyasha what I witnessed could be useful.

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A/N: wow I am already to chapter 80 and we haven't even seen Miroku or Sango (promise they will be here).

Thank you for reading and please review. :D


	82. Chapter 81: Mr Grumpy Gills

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. No he is not mine, but the OC's in this story are mine.

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Chapter 81: Mr. Grumpy Gills

"Inuyasha why are you in such a grumpy mood. It's the first time we have seen the sun in days" Kagome asked me.

There were reasons why I am 'grumpy'. First when I woke up this morning the wench was laying on my shoulder and the runt was grinning at me like a maniac. Second it was sunny, which means we don't know where the Thunder Brothers are. Third the damn runt can't remember where he hid his jewel shard. Lastly Kagome is in a weirdly good mood, which just pisses me off.

"Seriously I don't know why you are in a bad mood. It is beautiful outside… well besides the days worth of mud" she said as she kept walking along the path with Shippo on her shoulder. How the runt managed to make that his spot and get out of walking was beyond me. Either way I have this gut feeling that the list of people I want to kill is going to grow by one. Actually I don't think it's a feeling, it's a fact.

"Hey! I think we are going the right way!" Shippo exclaimed. I hope for his sake he was right.

"Good, once I can sense the jewel shard then we will know we are going in the right direction" Kagome smiled at Shippo. Just then I had a horrible feeling that we wouldn't be able to just leave the runt alone with Kaede. This day just gets better and better.

Eventually we had found the jewel shard with Shippo's help, though Kagome and I did most of the work anyways.

"Great, now let's go and find some demons to kill" I said and we turned around to walk back the way we came. We still needed to find the Thunder Brothers and then we had to fight them for their own jewel shards. This was going to be a long day, but I am aching for a work out and to use my sword again.

We were walking along the mountain side when the sky began to darken, at least I know we are going in the right direction. "Kagome…" Shippo said shakily in fear.

"Inuyasha I have a bad feeling" no sooner had Kagome said that when a burst of yellow light hit the mountain above us. The next that happened was a rockslide. Boulders and rocks came tumbling after us. I grabbed Kagome and Shippo before I could react and pushed all of us over the edge of the mountain.

We were sliding down the mountain when another burst of light hit the mountainside just below us. I was sent in another direction from Kagome and Shippo. Before I could recover myself I was swept away with the falling rocks. After everything had settled I tried to move the stones off of me, but I couldn't get any leverage against them. I was stuck under a pile of rocks.

I continued to struggle to get all of the rocks off of me until I heard Myoga's voice near myself. "Master Inuyasah!" the flea exclaimed.

"Myoga go and find Kagome" I ordered him. Kagome would be able to help me get out of this mess, though whether the flea would survive and encounter with her remains to be seen.

"I have to help you, Master Inuyasha. Not to mention she would kill me" he squealed as he tried to help, but he was a flea so he couldn't do anything about the situation I am in.

"I'll kill you if you don't do it!" I yelled at him from under the stone.

"Eeep!" he squeaked and I heard him dash away. Hopefully he would find Kagome.

After a while more struggling I heard the runt's voice. "Inuyasha! How did this happen!" the runt screamed. I'll strangle him when I get out with Kagome's help.

"Kagome help me get out!" I yelled and there was no noise. No acknowledgment of any kind, which is not a good sign.

"Um…" I heard the runt say, but he failed to explain why I didn't hear or smell Kagome anywhere near here or the fact that I am still trapped beneath a pile of damn rocks..

"Shippo" I growled at him and heard an 'eep' from the runt. "Where's Kagome" I continued growling.

"Well you see…" Shippo hesitated to answer me, but Myoga answered for him.

"Lady Kagome has been taken by Manten, one of the Thunder Brothers. Good riddance too. Hopefully she won't die too painful of a death" Myoga said. That is not good. That damn wench can't go a single day without trouble. If she wasn't able to see the jewel then I wouldn't have to deal with all of this shit!

"Shippo help me out of here. We are going to get Kagome" I said and I heard Shippo scamper over the pile I was under and start to throw rocks off of it. After a little bit I could get enough leverage to move the rocks off of me and grab my sword to blast them away from me. I picked up Shippo and the rest of Kagome's things; then I went after the wench.

"Inuyasha…" Shippo said uncertainly.

"What is it runt?" I asked gruffly. I was not in any kind of mood to be making conversation.

Shippo held up his hand and I saw that it held the glass bottle Kagome kept the jewels in. I took the bottle from Shippo and checked to make sure all of the shards were there. I saw that all six of them were still in the bottle intact and decided to ask the runt a simple question, "How the hell did you get these?"

"Kagome told me to find you and give them to you. She said that they would be safer with you instead of her. Then she told me to hide myself. She shot one of the Thunder Brothers and ran off into the forest. I saw a burst of light and then I saw him carrying Kagome." Shippo sniffled. "Inuyasha you don't think she is dead?" Shippo asked with tears in his eyes.

"No I don't. The wench has too damn much luck to be dead now" I said. 'Kagome you had better be alive' I thought as I continued on. Though Myoga did not help my situation by telling me the Thunder Brother's liked to eat young and beautiful maidens alive. I flicked him off my shoulder after that and sped up to find these damn brothers.

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A/N: after I was done writing half of this chapter I realized Inuyasha could have used his Sankon Tessou to get out of the pile of rocks... Eh I'm the author so let's just say he couldn't because his hands were in an awkward position.

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	83. Chapter 82: Deception Tactics

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

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Chapter 82: Deception Tactics

I woke up with a horrible pain in my head, then again I was blasted with that bastards attack. I sat up carefully and looked at my surroundings and saw the ugly demon that had attacked giggling and stirring a boiling pot of… something…

I decided that it was time for me to leave and I stealthily snuck out of the door and ran down the hall, looking for a door or window I could use to escape. I heard voices up ahead and reached for my dagger, which was still attached to my belt. Thank kami! I snuck along the wall that emptied out into an open room with stone walls and floors. I could tell that the voices were of a male and female and I really didn't want to know what they were doing or about to do. I snuck along the wall and almost made it across the room when I felt a hand grab my shirt and drag me back. "Hey! Let me go!" I yelled as I twisted and kicked to get out of whatever had me in its grasp. A large pale hand wrapped itself around my face, covering my mouth. It belonged to the same demon that had kidnapped me.

"Silence you stupid wench" the ugly demon said with rotten breath. Honestly he really needs to brush his teeth, when is toothpaste supposed to be invented again?

"Manten" a commanding voice said and I looked ahead of me to see a handsome demon with long black hair pulled back into a braid and ruby red eyes glaring at the demon that held me. Beside him stood another demon; she stood beside him with an unamused expression on her face. Though what really caught my attention was what she was wearing, or rather what she was not wearing. She had absolutely no top on.

"Yes brother" the ugly demon said timidly as he still clasped my mouth shut.

"How did you fare in your search for more shards?" the handsome demon asked Manten and brushed aside the snide remark of the demon standing next to him.

"I thought I found some, but I was unable to get them" he said as he tried to shrink away.

"Leave" the handsome demon said to the demon standing next to him. When she asked what he meant he opened his fist in her direction and I watched as he turned her to ash with lightening. "I don't ask twice" he said as he lowered his fist back down to his side. "Manten what the hell is this?" he asked as he pointed to me. I simply glared at him since I couldn't open up my mouth.

"She is mine. I found her" he said. Great he's stupid, which means I might be able to talk my way out of this if meatball here would simply unclasp his hand from my mouth.

"The only reason I haven't killed you is because you are my brother. Now in return for not gathering jewel shards give her to me" he commanded. Manten hesitated, but pushed me to his brother. Great. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. "She shall serve as my entertainment and meal tonight" he said with a sinister voice. There was no way in hell I am going to be eaten.

"You don't want to do that" I said to him and he scowled at me. "I am far more valuable alive than dead" I told him. Now I just have to play my cards right and I can get out of this.

"How do you mean, human" he spat at me. Obviously he didn't know how to treat a girl.

"I can see the jewel, which is an invaluable resource. You have three shards on your forehead and your brother has two in the same place" I told him and he looked mildly curious.

"You know that we have shards, but how can that help us?" he questioned me. Luckily I did have an answer.

"It helps you because in exchange for my life I can lead you to the rest of the jewel shards" I said with a triumphant smirk on my face. Now that I have both of their attention I have to get them to trust me. "Do you know anyone named Inuyasha?" I asked them both. I hoped to hell that they had.

"The half demon rumored to be hunting the jewel" the brother said with disdain.

"Yes that very one. He held me captive and forced me to look for the jewel. If you just keep me alive and feed me then I can lead you to him. After all he does have six shards of the jewel" I said in a sly voice.

"Hiten. I don't trust her" Manten said to his brother.

"Quiet Manten, she is a valuable asset to us. She isn't bad to look at either" Hiten said as looked me up and down. I had to force myself not to shiver when he did so. Both of these brothers are creepy and disgusting, but I have to pretend to be on their side.

"I'm tired of being lugged around the countryside by a filthy half demon. I would prefer someone who… is far stronger and much more handsome" I said as I gave as seductive a smile I could manage to Hiten. Apparently he took the bait because he smiled back at me.

"I am glad to relieve you of such a burden" he said as he clasped a hand around my waist. "We will set out tomorrow and kill the disgusting half demon and take his piece of the jewel" Hiten said as he led me away. No way in hell was I going to let this monster touch me!

"Why don't we kill him today? Then we can celebrate all of tomorrow when your power has grown even stronger. I would be happy to show my appreciation to my liberator" I said to him and he grinned at me with a blood thirsty smile.

"Manten" Hiten called his brother.

"Yes brother?" Manten asked in return.

"We're going hunting" Hiten said, amusement and excitement lacing his voice.

'Inuyasha please be alright!' I thought to myself as Hiten led me out of the castle and we set off to find Inuyasha and his jewel shards.

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Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	84. Chapter 83: False Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 83: False Betrayal

It bothered me that all I had to go on to find Kagome was watching the weather. Though at least it would lead me to her. I hoped. I continued to head in the direction of the building thunder clouds.

"Master Inuyasha, what is it you plan on doing once we find these brothers?" Myoga asked me. He managed to catch up with us and hop back onto my shoulder. It pisses me off that he is still trying to get me to kill Kagome. He is continually saying that we should leave her for dead. Besides having to rescue Kagome once again I have Myoga chatting up my ear about how she is more valuable dead.

"I am going to kill them and rescue Kagome" I told him for the tenth time. I have half a mind to crush him.

"Master Inuyasha I would suggest that you simply…" Myoga stopped when Shippo interrupted him. Good thing too, because I was about to fling him from my shoulder.

"Shut up Myoga!" the runt yelled at the flea from my other shoulder. I pinned my ears to the top of my head when he did this. I am not a fan of people yelling in my ears. "You obviously don't know Kagome! She is a good and nice person!"

"Then you obviously don't know what Lady Kagome is" Myoga said, thinking he could scare the runt into seeing things his way.

"Of course I know what she is and it scared me when I first met her, but I know that she is nothing like the horror stories say she is. She is a good person!" Shippo reiterated and for once Myoga was silent. He was finally at a loss for words. "We just have to find her before anything bad happens" Shippo said nervously on my shoulder.

"Nothing bad is going to happen, Runt" I said, trying to convince myself as much as him. Then Myoga decided to open his mouth again.

"On the contrary Shippo. She may already be dead. As I said before, the Thunder Brothers tend to eat beautiful young maidens. The odds that Kagome is still alive are sli…" I decided not to listen to the damn flea anymore and squashed him then threw him far away.

I heard Shippo sniffle and knew he was about to cry. I hate crying! "I promise we will get Kagome back Shippo" I said to him to keep the runt from balling his eyes out.

"You promise" he sniffled again. I really hope all kids aren't like this.

"Yeah, runt" I said as we continued towards the increasingly ominous clouds.

Once we had managed to get closer to the building weather a large bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky. I dodged it just as the ground we were once standing on exploded in bright light. At least I knew a sneak attack was out of the question.

I heard a voice come from the sky before I saw the demon it belonged to, "You aren't as bad you look, half-breed" I saw that he held a pike in his hand and was flying due to flaming wheels at his feet. Though I couldn't care less what he was wearing or what he looked like, all I cared about was Kagome and gutting him for what he just called.

"Really then why don't you face me instead of staying up in the air like a coward?!" I yelled back to the demon. I have been itching for a good fight so that I can use my sword. Not only that, but I want to find out how I am able to do that technique that beat Sesshoumaru.

"All in good time. First I want to make sure what the woman has told me is true" he said and the other brother descended from the clouds on a cloud of his own. On the cloud I saw Kagome standing next to him. She seemed to be oaky, but her expression was a cold mask. It was something I had never seen on Kagome's face before, it really didn't suit her.

"He has six shards in a vile over his chest" she said as she pointed at me. "You should be able to get the shards and kill the half-breed in one shot" she told the brother with the flaming wheels as she smiled at me sweetly. It only took me a second to realize what was happening. The bitch was betraying me. Looks like she didn't fall very far from Kikyo.

Kagome's POV:

Every single word I said made me want to vomit. The sooner Inuyasha and Hiten started their battle the sooner I would be able to take care of ugly. Though the look on Inuyasha's face made me want to apologize profusely. Over and over again. I hated the fact that I even had to say anything, but if we were to make it out alive then the act has to be believable. Which means I have to hurt Inuyasha, I just hope he sees reason after all of this is over.

I looked from Inuyasha to his shoulder and there stood Shippo. He was staring at me with tears in his eyes. I now feel horrible and am going to kill Inuyasha for bringing Shippo to a freaking battle! I saw Shippo's eyes shift to what Manten wore around his waist. After I had gotten a good look at Manten I had known that was the pelt of Shippo's father. I really didn't want him to see it, but it was too late.

"Why?! You bitch!" I heard Inuyasha scream in rage at how I betrayed him, at least it was believable…

"Enough with the questions. Time to die" Hiten yelled and lunged for Inuyasha.

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A/N: I know a short chapter.

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	85. Chapter 84: Hostage

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha -_-

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Chapter 84: Hostage

I watched as Hiten and Inuyasha traded blows. I saw that neither were gaining any headway in the battle and kept hearing Hiten egg him on with some crap about how a battle isn't worth worrying over one female. Nice to feel needed…

"I shall lend my assistance to brother Hiten" Manten said next to me and decided that this was my chance. As he charged his attack I silently took my dagger out of its sheath and charged it with my power. I know now that using my power alone in an attack is a bad idea. I need to ask Deysi to teach me some offense because my barrier skills suck.

"The hell you will" I said and slashed him across his neck. Sadly it didn't kill him, but it did leave a nice deep gash. When he was trying to recover and attack me I reared back and kicked him with all of my might. I watched as he fell from the cloud with a loud thud and then something unexpected happened. The cloud, you know the one that is keeping me in the air, disappeared. Crap.

My breath caught in my throat as I plummeted to the ground. I tried to aim at ugly, hoping he would provide some cushion to my fall. To my luck I landed right on top of him and then bounced off and onto the ground. "Thank goodness I am alive!" I said to no one in particular.

"Though you won't be for long!" Ugly said from where he was on the ground. I decided very quickly that now was a good time to run away. Run away very quickly.

"Yeah. That isn't going to happen" I said as I got up and ran as fast as I could away from the ugly brother. He was surprisingly fast as I ran away from him; not only that, but he was also able to charge his attack while he ran. Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!

I looked back just in time to see him launch a ball of electricity from his mouth. I couldn't think as the ball of death came closer and closer, but just before it reached where I was I was tackled to the ground. After we had landed I looked up to see Shippo's red hair. I didn't even think as I grabbed the kit and ran to a safe hiding space. "Shippo! What are you doing here?" I whispered to the kit.

"I came to avenge my father and save you, but you betrayed us then you tried to kill one of the brothers. Gah! I am so confused" he whispered back to me.

"Glad to see that no one believes in me" I said back to the kit with a slightly annoyed expression. Seriously at least Inuyasha should have known something was up, I would never betray them. I just thought that Inuyasha knew that. If I have to start from square one with him in the trust department then I am going to be so pissed.

"You mean you didn't betray us?" Shippo asked me.

"Duh. Why would I trade two good friends for two monsters? Everything I said was an act" I informed Shippo and smiled at him. Though we were still in the middle of a battle with an ugly reptile trying to kill us. "Anyways, did Inuyasha bring my bow?" I asked Shippo. I really hope he did, because that would make life so much easier.

"Yeah I think he did, but when we were attacked all of our stuff was scattered around" Shippo said uncertainly. Even if it was slim it was a chance I was willing to take. I needed to find my bow because hand to hand combat with a demon who was twice my size is not something I want to experience.

"Good. We need to find that bow. You go one way and I will go the other. If you find then get it to me, but just stay safe no matter what." I told him. I didn't want Shippo to get hurt or worse. "Go" I said to him and sprinted in the opposite direction of him. Ugly was looking for me so I would be a target instead of Shippo. Which means I am in imminent danger so long as I stay within view. I headed to the dead forest that surrounded our battlefield. I kept stealing glances at the battle that Inuyasha was fighting with Hiten. I saw them exchange blow for blow. Hiten would let loose a lightning attack and Inuyasha would block or dodge it.

After I had ran through the forest for a while longer I saw a glint on the ground and headed to it. To my luck it was my arrows and as I looked around I saw the bow laying on the ground not too far away and picked it up after I slung my quiver onto my back as I held my bow in my hand and started to run again. This time it was to find Shippo and give Inuyasha an advantage. I ran behind an out cropping of rocks and studied the battle between Inuyasha and Hiten.

Inuyasha was at a disadvantage with Hiten flying. I could now see that Inuyasha was struggling to keep up with the demon. 'I have to do something about him flying' I thought to myself. Then I noticed the wheels at Hiten's feet. How flaming wheels made someone fly was beyond me, but they apparently worked for Hiten and that made them my tagets.

I grabbed an arrow from my quiver and took aim behind the rocks. I lined up my arrow with one of the wheels at his feet and drew it back. Before I let it go I said a silent prayer for it not to hit Inuyasha. That, after all, would be bad. Just after I released the arrow I heard the shatter of one of the wheels. The arrow hit its mark, but also drew the attention of Hiten.

I dodged a blast of lightning just in time and watched as my hiding place was blown to smithereens. That would not be good for me to be caught up in that. After I had hidden from view I drew another arrow and took aim. I was about to release the arrow when I heard a malice filled voice behind me speak.

"Drop the bow Miko, or I will crush the fox" I turned around and low and behold there stood ugly holding Shippo in his on hand. I could see that the wound I had given him hadn't done much except bleed all over his armor.

'That is incredibly inconvenient' I thought as I dropped my bow and quiver and held my hands up above my head in surrender.

"The dagger as well. I'm not stupid wench" he said to me. It's true, appearances can be deceiving or he could just be lying. Either one would work in this situation.

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A/N: no Kagome did not turn evil or betray them, but Shippo is in a pickle at the moment. I know it is horrible, but I felt like harping on Manten. Not really sure why.

I'm going to bed now...

Thank you for reading and please review. :)


	86. Chapter 85: Hopeless

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 85: Hopeless

I did what I was told and dropped my weapons on the ground. I stood in front of the demon and glared at him simply out of spite. "If you move. I kill the fox" he said to me and I watched as he opened his mouth and charged his attack. I didn't say anything. All I did was stand there and charge as much of my power as I could. I couldn't let Shippo die, but I refuse to die myself. I just don't know how I am going to accomplish that.

Inuyasha's POV:

When the wench shot the arrow and destroyed one of Hiten's flaming wheels he did slow down, but he was still a good fighter. Sadly he has probably had more experience weilding his weapon than I do. Though I am a fast learner when it comes to fighting. I just hope it is enough to beat this bastard.

Apparently the wench had betrayed the Thunder Brother's, which meant she was probably always on our side, if that arrow was anything to go by. Either way when this battle is over I am going to sort every damn thing out with the wench. Then I heard Shippo scream Kagome's name as loud as he possibly could. What happened next happened within a few seconds, but it all seemed so slow.

I looked to where Shippo had screamed and saw Kagome standing in front of Manten with determination in her features. Then she was engulfed in Manten's attack. The bright yellow thunder sent Kagome flying backwards and into a boulder. I watched as her charred body collapsed into a nonmoving heap.

"Kagome!" I screamed and hoped to hell that she would answer.

"Fool! A battle is worth far more than a mere mortal woman!" Hiten yelled as he thrust his thunder pike into my shoulder and attacked me with lightning. My body felt as if my blood was boiling within my veins as the lightning traveled through it. He yanked the pike from my body and kicked me square in the jaw.

When I hit the ground again got back up and guarded from another attack, "You bastard" I hissed at him as I felt blood drip from my chin.

"You have no right to say that half-breed. After I have finished with you I can't wait to have fun with the mortal" he sneered as a manic glint showed in his eyes.

"The hell I will let that happen!" I yelled at him and bared one of my clawed hands as I held off his attack with Tetsaiga in the other. "Senkon Tessou!" I yelled as blades of youki slashed through the air at Hiten. He cursed as he backed up and I ran to where Kagome, Shippo and the other brother were, or at least I tried.

Hiten took his thunder pike into the air and sent a ball of lightning towards me. I scoffed at the fact that he thought this would do anything. I could easily cut through the attack. So that was exactly what I did, but when I arrived on the other side of the ball of energy Hiten was nowhere to be seen.

"Your mine" I heard Hiten say from behind and before I had time to turn around I was impaled onto his thunder pike and was once again thrown to the ground. I struggled to get back on my feet as I felt the remnants of the lightning from his attack coursing through my body again.

"It's hopeless half-breed" I heard Hiten say in a cold and unforgiving tone as he kicked me into the air and stabbed me again with his charged pike. I again was slammed to the ground and he stabbed me again in the stomach with his pike. All I could feel was my body being rattled with lightning and searing pain. My vision began to go black and I heard two things before I lost consciousness. Hiten say once again 'it's hopeless' and Manten's agonized scream of pain.

Back a little earlier with the fight between Kagome and Manten:

Manten walked slowly up to the unmoving body of the miko. After his attack he had kicked the girl until he was sure every one of her ribs were shattered. He grinned at the helpless cries of the fox he held in his grasp as he knelt down to ensure she was just alive enough to feel more pain. He had plans for the miko and he was sure his brother had some as well. Neither of them did well with betrayal and both took satisfaction in giving the betrayer a gruesome end to their existence.

"Wake up miko. I want to hear you scream as I skin the fox alive in front of you" Manten said. He squeezed the fox kit in his hand tighter until he felt some bones pop and break from the pressure and he fell silent. "At least the brat is quiet now and it looks like brother Hiten will be done with his opponent soon as well. Wake up miko. I wish to see the look in your eyes" Hiten said as he grabbed Kagome's hair and looked at her face. What he saw made him go still in fear and all confidence wash from his face.

What were looking back at him were a pair of enraged and hate filled bright, blue eyes. "Be careful what you wish for" Kagome said with venom in her voice.

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A/N: Yep a short chapter. Also Shippo is not dead. I repeat he is not dead. If you haven't noticed I like cliff hangers.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	87. Chapter 86: Mother's Fury

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 86: Mother's Fury

I have always been a loving person and have always like helping people, hence why I am currently trying to help Shippo. Over the past few days I got to know the kit and we became friends. Though when he was being threatened I felt the strong urge to protect him and with each attack that need grew, but when Manten voiced what he was going to do to Shippo something snapped. Actually I think something exploded in me because I have never felt so enraged or hate filled in my entire life. It was like a damn burst and every burning emotion came forth and made its presence known. I felt my power burn through my veins and it hurt like hell. Though at the same time I felt the most amazing sense of having incredible power. It was exhilarating as I felt my body mending itself and piecing bones back together as the power flowed through my veins. I felt it burning through my body, but it failed to actually burn my body as it had done before when I misused it.

"Wake up miko. I wish to see the look in your eyes" I heard Hiten say as he grabbed my hair and lifted my head up so that he could see the fear in my eyes. Except there was no fear, nor would there be. As if I would give this monster what he wanted and the fact that he expected me to simply made my anger and hatred grow. He stared at me in complete shock and fear and I knew that my eyes had changed color.

I grinned at his fear and spoke with as much venom in my voice as a coral snake, "Be careful what you wish for." His eyes grew wide and he dropped Shippo's unconscious form to the ground as he tried to strike me again. I took all of my concentration and called to my dagger. To my surprise it actually materialized in my hand. That was awesome.

I pushed aside my surprise and swung my dagger as I filled it with my overflowing power and aimed for the hand holding my head in the air. I heard a sizzling sound as the blade cut clean through his arm and his hand fell to the ground behind my head. Manten looked at me with disbelief as he reeled back and kept himself from crying out in pain. He stood farther away from me than he was previously as he held what was left of his arm.

I stood up and tried not to think about the fact that I had just cut someone's arm off or the fact that their blood is all over my head now. Gross. I took my dagger up in a defensive stance, but stopped to look at it when I realized it felt different in my grasp than before. I looked down at my hand and saw that instead of the beautiful curved dagger I was now used to was a sword.

How the hell did that happen? When did I get a sword? It held the same characteristics as my dagger except that the blade was not just a simple curve it had shifted into the shape of gentle waves. It is strange how deceptively brutal and powerful something so beautiful could be…

I was brought back to reality when a glint of light caught my eye. I held up my sword just in time to defend against one of Manten's thunder attacks. I saw the attack being diverted to either side of me as gouges were cut into the ground from its force. I cut through the last of his attack and rushed to attack Manten head on. As I did so he lept back and blasted another attack at me. Though this time I saw that Shippo was in the path of the blast as well. I dove in front of his unconscious form. Or at least I hope he is unconscious because if he wasn't there would be hell to pay.

I plunged my sword into the ground before me as I crouched in front of Shippo's unmoving form. I left my sword and checked for his pulse. To my relief he still had one, but his face was bruised and I could tell by the angle his arm was bent that it was broken. The longer I looked at him the more enraged I became. I picked Shippo up and pulled my sword out of the ground as I stood up. I glanced around quickly to find a safe place to put the kit and saw a large pile of boulders that I could place him behind while I fought with ugly.

I emerged from behind the rocks to face my opponent. I could still see the fear in his eyes as he watched me stalk around him. I held no sympathy, no kindness or any good emotion to the beast in front of me. He was a monster and has to be dealt with. The only scary thing is that I am more than willing to end his existence and that of his brother. Them having jewel shards will make the victory all the more sweet.

I quirked a small smirk of satisfaction at what was about to happen. Hiten quickly fired another blast of thunder at me and instead of simply protecting myself I deflected it away from myself with a swipe of my sword. Then I charged at the monster before me. I just managed to slash his chest, armor and all, before he retreated once again.

My smirk grew as I looked at my injured opponent. I suppose this must be what the cat feels like when is has cornered an injured mouse. Though I was only sure of two things at the moment. Manten would die by my hands and a mother's wrath beats the shit out of adrenaline any day.

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A/N: okay so I have been hooked on One Piece... just got through the whole Marine Ford arc. I cried. T_T

Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the fight should conclude in the next couple of chapters. Then we can get our favorite comic relief couple introduced. :)

(I know they play a larger role than that, but they are funny!)

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	88. Chapter 87: Death in the Family

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but the OC's are mine!

Enjoy! :)

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Chapter 87: Death in the Family

Deep inside of Kagome's mind, demon with aqua eyes POV:

I stood in front of the large black doors as they shook against the small lock that held them closed. Whatever was behind them wanted out and it wanted out bad. The fact that Deysi can come and go as she pleases bothers me, but the fact that I can't even walk around the garden on my own pisses me off. The girl has no idea what is going in her own mind and I doubt she would want to know. The fact that she isn't actually a full demon complicates things to an immense degree.

'BAM! BAM! BAM!'

The doors strained from what was behind them. As I stared at the doors in front of me in this dark space a chill ran up my spine. I could tell that she was fighting someone and her seals were straining under the stress of her using so much power. "Damn it! What the hell is she thinking? The seal can't break now, she hasn't learned anything" I cursed as I tried to tune out the continuous pounding from the door. Then again, I don't have very much patience. "Will you shut the hell up!" I yelled at the door. Great I am talking to a moving door and am trapped here by some stupid vines. This sucks!

I decided to head over to where the vine covered doorway was in the very back of the girl's garden. I watched through the cracks of the vines as colors lit up the scenery. I smiled to myself. Her power seems to want to be reunited with its master. I wouldn't mind saying 'hi' myself at some point. Though so long as the seals are in place I have to remain here in the darkness. After all she doesn't need to know me… yet.

Reality, Kagome's POV:

I charged at Manten again and this time I landed a sizeable hit across his midsection. He fell to the ground and clutched his wounds. I stalked up to his prone form on the ground. I could see the fear in his eyes as I neared him. He alternated between trying to stop the bleeding of his arm and the bleeding from his chest. He looked pitiful and I stopped. Big mistake by the way.

I lowered my sword slightly and he attacked me with his thunder. I simply cut through it like I had before and impaled him on my, now very bloody, sword. I heard him howl in pain one last time as I pulled the sword up diagonally with all of my might. When I looked at his body on the ground I nearly puked. The last wound that I had delivered had cut clean through from his stomach to his shoulder. His body layed on the ground with blood oozing from his wounds and his eyes stared lifelessly at the sky. There was a very visible gap from between each side of the gap.

I looked away from Manten's lifeless body then remembered two important things: the jewel shards and Shippo's father's fur. I had to get them and then make sure that Inuyasha was alright. Speaking of Inuyasha, I heard no fighting from him and Hiten.

I looked over to where I last saw them and saw Inuyasha's unmoving form on the ground and an enraged Hiten speeding towards me. Shit!

I grabbed Shippo's father's pelt and then reached to take the jewel shards, but just as I was about to take them I was hit by a lightning blast from Hiten. I flew back and hit hard against the rocks behind me. I forced myself to stay conscious because if I didn't we would all be in deep trouble.

I ran behind the rocks all the while keeping my ears open to what Hiten was saying. Something about how we were monster's for killing his brother and how he was going to make us pay. Quite honestly I didn't give a damn so long as I could get Inuyasha and Shippo out of here alive. We could always come back for the jewel shards, but coming back for your life would be a little difficult.

With Shippo in my arms and his father's pelt over my shoulder I ran to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha you stupid dog! Get up!" I yelled at him and shook him trying to wake him up. Luckily I could see his chest moving up and down, so he wasn't dead at least. He had horrible wounds covering his torso and he was bleeding heavily. I knew I wouldn't be able to carry him, Shippo and everything else to safety before Hiten catches us.

I looked back to Hiten and saw him standing over his brother, but what scared me was the fact that Manten didn't have any shards in his forehead. Instead Hiten had all of them on his. We are in serious trouble. I decided to drag Inuyasha and Shippo to a relatively safe place. If he wanted revenge then he would probably come after me. Though fighting against Hiten, who now has the power of five jewel shards, is not high on my to-do list.

I sprinted out from where I hid Inuyasha and Shippo with my bow slung over my shoulder and my sword charged in my hand. If I didn't fight Hiten here then we would all die and there is no way I am going to let that happen.

"Hey bastard. I'm the one who killed ugly over there. Come and get me" I said to Hiten as his blood red eyes locked onto my figure. Maybe saying something so arrogant was not the smartest move, but it did grab his attention.

After battling, or rather just trying to defend myself against his attacks. Turns out he can use both lightning and thunder attacks now. Marvelous. I used my sword to block each attack he sent my way. All I was doing is getting pushed around the battle field. This is getting me nowhere.

"I wonder where you hid your friends" he said as I was trying to defend against his thunder pike. I felt my eyes grow large as he said that. It was then that I realized he was thirsty for not only my blood, but that of Inuyasha and Shippo. I knew where they were because I could sense the shards in Inuyasha's robes, but Hiten could only guess as to where they were. "I want to hear you scream as I destroy your friends. Maybe then you can feel a fraction of the pain I feel" he said in a demonic voice.

"You monsters deserve what is coming to you after all that you have done to others. You'll learn firsthand that karma's a bitch" I said as I spat in his face. He obviously didn't like that because he pushed his pike harder against my blade and I had to use every ounce of my strength to keep my own blade and his from touching my skin.

As I was busy with keeping his thunder pike at bay he shot one of Manten's attacks from his mouth and hit a pile of boulders near where I hid Inuyasha and Shippo. I felt my features betray me as I glared at him in anger and unlucky me, he picked up on it. I was really hoping he was stupid like his brother.

I watched in horror as he charged another blast and aimed it at where I had hidden my friends. "Nooo!" I screamed as he let the ball of thunder fly. I glanced back in enough time to see the rocks explode from the attack. "You son of a bitch!" I screamed and felt even more power flowing through, though this time it felt different. It felt like it belonged.

I saw my blade glow a different color than the blue I was used to. It glowed a beautiful blue green, like the tropical sea. Honestly I couldn't give a damn what color it was so long as I was able to defeat Hiten.

I pushed back against him and, to my surprise, he moved back. "You aren't human" he seethed at me as I felt this new power flow through me. It felt different from the burning sensation it made me feel alive to the fullest extent.

"No shit. What was your first clue?" I asked him in an arrogant voice that was new to me.

After I had managed to push Hiten back far enough I took a good look at what had become of Inuyasha and Shippo. To my surprise they were in the same place I had left them, but there were remnants of green fire littering the ground where they were. It seemed like it had protected them from the blast and I could tell that it wasn't malevolent.

I glanced back at Hiten and saw that he had noticed they were unharmed as well and was charging an attack on his thunder pike. As I watched the ball of lightning grow bigger I remembered something from when I first received my dagger. My father had written me a letter about it, '_It will protect you and those you love.'_ I took a breath and knew instantly what I had to do. 'Sorry mom, I lied' I thought as I willed the sword to go back to its original form and I threw the dagger. Not even a second later Hiten let loose his attack. As soon as the dagger hit the ground a wall of blue and green energy burst forth and Hiten's attack dispersed against it.

I mentally cheered, but my victory was short lived as I was slammed into a rock with Hiten's thunder pike imbedded into my shoulder. At this point I was screwed.

"What are you?" he asked me as he yanked my hand away from his thunder pike and sent a charge of lightning into my body from its place in my shoulder. I strained to keep my eyes open and it took everything out of me to simply not scream. He took his hand from his pike and clenched it around my neck, his claws piercing my skin. Blood welled up beneath his fingers and ran down my neck. "I'm not some flea bitten dog, but you smell surprisingly delicious" he purred as he licked the blood from his fingertips. "I can't believe you are one of them" his voice filled with disbelief and excitement. "I can't wait to have fun with you as I slowly devour your body piece by piece" he said and licked the blood from my neck.

There was something seriously wrong with him, even more than before. When he looked into my eyes again they were a dark blood red; not just the pupil, but the entire eye. I felt myself stiffen up in fear and I could feel the color draining from my face. I did not want to find out what Hiten was going to do to me. 'Inuyasha please help me!'

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A/N: I hope I am making this somewhat realistic (as realistic a fantasy fanfic can be). If you haven't noticed by now, I don't like to make my characters weak, but I also don't like making them invincible. Also we will learn more about Kagome's power.

Also if I didn't make it clear, Manten was practically cut in half.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for reading and please review.


	89. Chapter 88: Lightning vs Wind

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. -_-

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Chapter 88: Lightning vs. Wind

I was brought of the darkness by the shrill voice of the runt in my ear. He was pulling my hair and screaming in my ear. Both of which hurt.

"What the hell is the big idea, runt?!" I yelled at him as I bopped him on the head for being annoying.

"Inuyasha you have to help Kagome!" the runt yelled at me while rubbing his head with one hand. Now that I got a good look at him he was bruised pretty bad and judging by the lack of use of his arm I would say it is broken.

"What happened?" I asked the runt. If I remember right I was beat pretty bad by Hiten before losing consciousness.

"Kagome is battling Hiten and she is losing! You have to help her!" the runt yelled at me and that was when I looked behind me to see Kagome being struck in the shoulder and electrocuted just as I had been. I could see blood running down her neck and dripping from her left hand. Her skin was paler than what I was used to and it was losing more color and fast.

"Stay here Shippo" I said. I didn't need to worry about the runt as well. I got up and ran towards Hiten. After a few steps I had passed through something, when I looked back a blue-green barrier shimmered under the limited light of the thunder clouds. I faced forward again and transformed Tetsaiga in my hand. The more I watched Hiten the more worried and enraged I felt as I drew closer to the two.

Hiten lifted his face from whatever he was doing to Kagome and I could immediately tell something was off. His eyes had changed and his aura became more demonic and blood thirsty. "Oh… is the dog going to try and rescue the Divine one?" he asked me. My eyes widened in disbelief at the fact he knew what she was. This is not good.

I growled at the monster before me. He held Kagome by her neck as if she was a fresh kill. I saw her clawing at his hand with her hands. I saw the power seep into his arm, but it did nothing to him. It didn't even burn the skin as her power flowed into his body. There was something seriously wrong here.

Hiten looked at Kagome's struggling form in his grasp and leered at her, "Your powers don't work on one who has consumed your blood." My eyes widened in anger as I realized what Hiten was doing before I had interrupted him. It made my blood boil and if I wasn't mistaken I could feel something clawing in my subconscious to get out and eviscerate the bastard in front of me.

"What the hell did you say, you bastard?" I growled at him in a low and threatening voice.

"You don't know what you had. She is as good as the jewel. Once I consume her and take the rest of the jewel I will be invincible" Hiten cackled as his hand gripped Kagome's neck even tighter.

At that moment I remembered something Myoga said to me about Kagome, 'She could turn to be very dangerous, and if not then she would attract other youkai and cause your quest to be much more difficult. It would be much more humane to end her existence than to let her fall in the hands of one who wanted her powers.' If Hiten is after her power then her life is in even more danger than I thought. Hiten isn't one to simply kill his prey, he enjoys toying with them until they beg for death.

"Leave Kagome alone" I threatened to him and he simply looked at me as if he was holding all the important cards to a game.

"The thing is that she is mine now" he said as he sneered at me. He talked as if Kagome was prize that he had won, but most of all it simply pissed me off that he said Kagome was his. If she is anyone's then she is mine.

I lunged at Hiten and hit his thunder pike head on, only this time I wasn't pushed back, nor would I be. Hiten's head is mine. I looked up to see his mouth filling with thunder, then he was sent backwards and landed on his back. Kagome must have kicked his legs out from under him and as a result the attack was sent into the sky, but he somehow still managed to defend against me and my sword. "You bitch!" Hiten yelled as he smashed Kagome's head against the ground and then threw her against a pile of rubble. I saw her eyes widen as she hit the rubble then close as she fell lifeless to the ground.

"You'll pay for that" I growled and wind whipped around me and Hiten. I was beyond enraged, I was murderous at this point and Hiten was the perfect thing to unleash all my rage on.

"I doubt that half-breed" He said as his red eyes followed my movements as we moved around each other. As we were stalking each other I could have sworn I could hear wind scraping against itself. Just as he was about to attack I saw a rift in the air from the crashing and twisting youki in the air. I swung my sword through the rift and watched as the same attack that almost killed Sesshoumaru was unleashed from my sword.

I saw Hiten's eyes grow huge before the attack consumed him. All that was left were gouges in the earth. The Thunder Brothers were dead for good.

I turned around and headed for Kagome as soon as I was sure he wasn't going to materialize from anywhere. When I reached her the sickeningly sweet smell of her blood permeated the air around her. I could tell why Hiten was attracted to her with the smell of her blood, her natural scent was enough on its own anyways.

"Kagome, wake up!" I said to her as I tried to wake her up from the aftermath of another battle. Every time I see her like this I feel like I let her down. "Dammit I can't even keep a damned promise!" I yelled as I cradled Kagome's body in my arms.

"Shut up dog-boy. I have one hell of a headache" Kagome mumbled from in my arms and I let loose a sigh of relief that she was okay. Though when she clung to my robes like a child I was surprised. "Sorry" she said in a small voice. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Inuyasha" she said to me and I remembered the pain of thinking the wench had betrayed me. I knew that feeling all too well and I hated it.

"Just don't do it again, wench" I said in my usual gruff tone.

She looked at me and smiled, "Thank you" she said and gave me a hug. This I was not used to. Honestly I didn't really know how to react to her. She is just so confusing sometimes. I decided to pat her back instead of returning the hug. It just wasn't like me, I don't give hugs. "Alright" she said as she got up out of my lap. "Let's go get Shippo and get to some body of water, we all need a bath" she said to me. She really doesn't look as injured as I had feared. I should really stop worrying about her so much.

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A/N: okay so this arc is almost done, the Thunder Brother's are dead and our trio is alive. :)

Thank you for reading and please review! :)


	90. Chapter 89: The Importance of Blood

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Thank you callmeBaby'08 for being the 110th reviewer. XD

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Chapter 89: The Importance of Blood

After walking for a while we ran into Myoga, rather Myoga ran into Inuyasha. Who then flattened him because he was sucking his blood. Speaking of blood I have to ask him why my blood acts as a drug. Seriously I don't want to be a walking talking drug addiction for demons. Not very high on my list of things to be for the future. Though whether I have a future has yet to be seen. The gods of luck must love taking all of it away for the really bad parts and then giving it back in the nick of time, because that is how my life in this time has been so far. A roller coaster of non-stop good and bad luck.

"Myoga, why does my blood make demons go bat-shit crazy?" I asked the flea, who glared at me and turned so that he couldn't see me.

"Myoga. If you ignore me again the next time you are flattened you won't pop back. Kapeesh?" I said in a not very happy tone. I was not in the mood to be messed around with or ignored. Why? I am hurting and have dead demon blood in my hair and all over my clothes. Not to mention that I only have one last change of clothes in my back pack and I am not going to walk around naked.

"I would answer her" Inuyasha said to Myoga and I could tell, even without looking at his face, he was glaring at Inuyasha.

"Kagome, is that why Hiten was acting more crazy and mean than he was before?" shippo asked me with interest in his voice. I splinted his arm and I could tell his demon blood was already at work with healing his body.

"That's my guess, but I want to know why" I said as I glared daggers at a certain flea.

"I have no obligation to speak to you. You should have died in that battle" he said. He is seriously out to get me, the no good coward.

"Answer her." Inuyasha said as he tried to conceal the anger in his voice, but I was able to pick up on it. He really didn't like it when Myoga ever said anything about how I should die or should have been killed. I almost think it bothers him more than it does me. Either way I am going to keep on living, making sure Myoga doesn't get his way is a bonus.

Myoga gulped and then turned around to face me. "Your blood is different from other demons" he started.

"No shit" I said with a flat expression.

"As I was saying" he said with a glare. "Your blood and that of your kind is different from others because your ancestors weren't always demons. They were once Celestial beings" he said and I think all of our eyes were as large as saucers at what he said.

I have this horrible gut feeling that this is going to complicate things further. Unfortunately my gut is usually right.

Battlefield:

"Well that was incredibly unexpected" Ayame said under her breath as she walked away from the battle she had just witnessed between, the now dead, Thunder Brother's and the people she had been watching. For someone with her power the girl still hadn't been able to sense her this whole time.

'Akihiro did a really good job of concealing her true power, but it wants to come out to play' she thought to herself as she recalled the blue-green power the girl had sported and the feeling it gave her. She knew that feeling, it was the dame one her mother would give her after she had done something wrong.

"Ayame" a female voice said behind her and she spun around with a hand covering her heart.

"Don't sneak up on people like that! Especially not when I am thinking of you. It's creepy!" she said shrilly at her adoptive mother, who had barely aged since the day she saved Ayame.

"Ayame, I control shadows…" she said with a smirk on her face.

"Exactly. You're already creepy enough, especially when you hide your own shadow" Ayame said as she pointed at the hell-hound's feet and the fact that she lacked a shadow.

"It's not nice to call your mother creepy" She said with a raised eyebrow in expectation of an apology.

"You can't pull the mother card whenever you want you know. Especially when you threw a bunch of kids and me into a dark forest teeming with ravenous beasts in the Shadow realm" Ayame said with an unimpressed look on her face as she recalled a memory of her adoptive mother 'raising' her.

"It's called tough love" she said as she shrugged her shoulders. She usually didn't act like this in front of anyone except her daughter, Hoshiyomi and some old friends from the past. It felt nice to be herself every once in a while.

"I call it insanity" Ayame said with a pout on her face. Her fiery red hair moving slightly in the wind.

"Same thing" the hell-hound said as she brushed off her daughter's comment. "I felt her energy. The first seal is close to breaking. It should only take one more big push and it will shatter" the hell hound said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why am I here when you keep showing up?" Ayame asked with her hands on her hips. She could tell that her mother hand gone beyond the wall she erected or was going to again. Her mother was wearing her signature colors of black and red. Her undershirt was black and only covered one arm, while the other shoulder was protected by her metallic red breast plate. Her midsection was covered by her corset made of shadow skin and dragon tears. A simple sash is wrapped around her hips as her black pants clung to her like a second skin and a silver belt secured them to her person. She wore her black boots with deep red runes inscribed upon them. Her arm was forever adorned with her red marks as were her cheeks and collar. Sweeping and curling patterns of varying degrees of red that stood out from her brown skin and black hair.

"I can't be here constantly to keep an eye on their trials" she said as she met her daughter's gaze. The hell-hound sighed when she caught the worried look in her eyes. No one liked her going to the other side of the wall, but she still held hope that she would find more she could save as she had done with Ayame. "I can't abandon anyone across the barrier even if it has been 500 years" she said, knowing that her words would not quell Ayame's fears.

"You haven't found anyone in over 60 years. They are probably all dead by now" she said and looked away from her adoptive mother.

SLAP!

Ayame looked at her mother with a terrified expression on her face. Her childhood had never been easy, but her mother had never raised a hand against her in the 400 years they had known eachother.

"You should know better than anyone that a ruler never turns their back on their people, especially if they are suffering" the hell hound growled dangerously at her daughter. "You have your own pack to take care of and I have an entire people to look after. I refuse to leave someone's life to chance and fate. If I have to I will change fate. Now go and track them again and don't interfere with their travels" the hell hound seethed at her daughter as she turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Ayame stood there looking at the ground as blood dripped from where she held her cheek. She closed her eyes in shame at what she had said. The only reason many of their race is alive and safe is because she had crossed the barrier and brought to the other side, it was the very reason she is still breathing today. Ayame knew that their leader would fight with everything she had to offer, including her own life, to save one innocent of their race.

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A/N: I don't really have anything to say, except I love this character! She has to be my favorite (sorry Inuyasha cast!).

I Love One Piece. Just thought I would share that. :)

Thank you for reading and please review.


	91. Chapter 90: Arrivals

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. He is not mine.

I can't believe I am at chapter 90. Wow...

Also VOTE IN THE POLL... thank you.

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Chapter 90: Arrivals

The hell hound traveled through the shadows until she came to a small hut on the side of the mountain that she knew well. She walked to the entrance and knocked on the wood door that separated her from the inside of the hut.

"It is good to see you again Master" said a small sweet voice as a woman with long white hair opened the door. Her red lips were drawn up into a small smile as her large blue eyes showed respect. She stood far shorter than the hell hound did, but most other females did. The hell hound was tall even for a female demon.

"Yes, it has been some time Tsubaki" she said as she was led into the hut by her student.

Kagome's POV:

"You have got to be kidding me" I said, not really knowing how to respond to what Myoga had told all of us. Though the fact that I am a freak of nature was one thought standing out in my head.

"I most certainly am not, though it is only speculation, I would assume that is why your race has the powers it does. Although your blood may not affect every youkai the same. More often than not it will cause a certain obsession that has to do with you Lady Kagome. With Hiten it was the obsession of your blood, in which case he was going to kill you to obtain your power. Another obsession I have heard of is where the youkai would be obsessed with a Divine demon in a way that they will feel the urge to have them as their mate. In some rarer cases it could have no affect except rendering your powers useless. Hence why you must never tell anyone what your heritage is." Myoga said in a serious tone.

'Great. I'm crack, an antidote and something else. I'll have to ask Inuyasha what 'mate' means to youkai. I have a good idea what it means, but it would hurt to know exactly what it would mean' I thought as I listened to Myoga explain about my blood. I was right in thinking that this would complicate things, though I don't plan on letting any more demons suck my blood. That was just gross.

"Which is one of the reasons why I have repeatedly said that you would be better off…" he continued as he glared at me. He really doesn't like me. Not a bit.

"Myoga for your sake I hope you were not going to use the word 'dead' to finish that sentence" I interrupted him. "Because if you were I highly doubt you would have seen the light of day again" I said to him in a menacing tone. If I hadn't flattened him then Inuyasha or maybe even Shippo would have. Either way he would have been flat and left behind.

"W-well. If you would excuse me" Myoga said as he skittered away from our small group.

We all looked in the direction that he went and said coward under our breaths. Can't help saying something when it is so obviously true.

We walked until just before the sun started to set and then set up a small camp in a grove of trees that butted up against a hot spring. I am so happy that I am going to have a bath that I could almost cry. I can't wait to get clean and have not crusty hair.

I took off all of my clothes and then slowly got into the hot spring. The water stung the wounds I have from the battle we had just endured, but at the same time I could feel all of the muck being washed from my body. I ducked my head under the water and ran my fingers through my hair in order to clean as best I could. I then ducked under the water once again, but I swam a little ways away and surfaced in a different part of the spring.

What I was not expecting was to be thrust into a rock and find a blade at my neck. When the water stopped running down my face I came face to face with another feminine face. Her hair was a dark brown and her eyes were the color of milk chocolate. "Who the hell are you and why do you have so many fragments of the jewel" she questioned me with narrowed and guarded eyes as she pressed the blade harder against my flesh. I seriously cannot get a single break!

I took a breath, or as good of one as I could, and told her what she wanted to know, "My name is Kagome Higurashi and I am hunting the jewel to destroy it." In this situation I feel that honesty is a good thing to use.

"… Fine." She said to me and relinquished her hold on me and removed the blade from my neck.

"Could I ask the name of the woman who just tried to kill me?" I asked her in annoyance when she turned her back to me and ignored me.

"My name is Sango. I am a demon slayer" she said to me and answered my question. I have decided that she is a dangerous person and not someone we should deal with. Especially after just having gone through a battle. "Why do you have such wounds?" she asked me as she studied the wounds that were scattered over my body.

"I had a run in with some nasty demons, but this is the worst of what happened" I told her truthfully.

"I could kill them for you" she said as she proceeded to wash herself in the spring. I figured I might as well do the same if we were going to carry on a conversation, a strange one.

"No need they are already dead. My friend and I killed them" I said to her, I feel like mentioning that Inuyasha is my friend is a bad idea. Since he is a hanyou and she is a demon slayer. I just don't think they will mix all that well.

"Hmmm…" she muttered as she was thinking about what I had just said to her.

"Kagome!" a very familiar voice called from the bank of the hot spring. Luck hates me. In no time a hanyou was staring at us brandishing his sword in a threatening manner to Sango. Great. Just great.

Needless to say this was not the time nor place to be threatening anyone since we were both naked. I did the most sensible thing I could do. "Osuwari!" I screamed at the hanyou and he crashed into the water.

"Sango!" a distinctly male voice yelled and then a splash of water sprayed both her and me. "I heard voices othe"

BAM!

Sango hit him so hard I think his ancestors could feel it. "Lecher! You shouldn't be close enough to hear any voices!" she seethed and I could see her previous calm demeanor was shattered with the appearance of this new person. Though now we have a dilemma. We are both naked in a hot spring with an unconscious man and an angry hanyou who has yet surface from the water. This day could not get worse.

"Kagome are you alright?!" Shippo screamed from the bank of the hot spring. I stand corrected. Sango might as well kill us all now.

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A/N: and in all of this chaos we meet Miroku and Sango. :)

Thank you for reading and please review. :)


	92. Chapter 91: Familiar Faces

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 91: Familiar Faces

I am… officially… scarred for life… the way I will see people will never be the same…

An hour ago, Kagome's POV:

"Please don't kill us we just had one hell of a fight and they are both of my friends" I said before Sango could jump the gun and do anything. I don't think she is a bad person, but she definitely listens to her instincts.

"Alright, but we should get out before he wakes up" Sango said as she pointed a finger to the man floating face down in the water.

"Are you sure he is okay?" I said as I saw some bubbles rise from where he was floating.

"If he was that easy to kill he would already be dead" Sango said in an irritated tone.

"Shippo this is Sango and she is a demon slayer, Sango this is Shippo a fox demon" I said as I was getting out of the hot spring. Lucky for us Inuyasha had surfaced and turned around after seeing that not only myself, but Sango was also naked. Honestly has he never been to a hot spring before? You don't wear clothes, not that it matters.

"Inuyasha you should clean up too" I called after I was done getting dressed and had wrapped a towel around my wet hair. My only response was a 'keh' as I headed back to our campsite with Shippo.

A little while later Sango showed up with a giant boomerang and an adorable cat with two tails. "I feel safer with you than that lecher of a monk" Sango said to me with a smile as she sat down next to me. "This is Kirara" she said as she motioned to the cat on her lap and the tiny ball of fur let out a small mewl.

"Aaahh!" I said and then noticed that Shippo was baring his fangs behind me at Sango. "Sango, do you kill all demons?" I asked her. It would be a good piece of information to have since all of us have demon blood flowing through our veins.

"Hmmm. Usually I am paid to take care of troublesome demons, but I don't kill every demon I come across. Why?" she asked me then her eyes fell on Shippo's form behind me and her face lit up with realization. She averted her gaze away and looked at the ground as she stroked Kirara's fur.

"Shippo nothing bad will happen to you, I promise she is a good person" I said as I smiled at his small form behind me.

"How can you say that when you just met her?" he asked as he glared at Sango.

"I don't know, just a feeling I guess" I said as I shrugged my shoulders and turned my attention to Sango who was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"You are very strange" she said as she got a good look at me and what I was wearing. "What exactly are you wearing?" she asked me.

"Clothes" I answered her. It is the truth and a very simple one at that.

She gave me an annoyed look to let me know that the answer I had given was not what she was looking for. "I know that much, but why are you wearing such strange clothes?"

"To me they are not all that strange, actually they are pretty normal" I said to her. I may trust her enough to be sitting next to, but I know next to nothing about Sango. "Sango can I ask why you are with that monk?" I asked trying to change the subject.

Sango looked at me then I saw her eyes grow dark and pained. "He saved my life. If he hadn't found me and treated my wounds then I would have been dead. Also he and I have a common goal. To kill a certain demon" she said ending with hatred filling her voice and twisting her features.

"What?" I asked rather unintelligently. Honestly I didn't really know what to say.

"The demon's name is Naraku. He slaughtered my entire village after he found out we had some jewel shards. I arrived back to my village just as his horde of demons was finishing off the people of my village. He had his demons attack me and I fell from a cliff after trying to fend them off. I'm lucky I am alive" she said with a dry laugh. She didn't really believe that she was lucky to be alive. I'm sure she feels alone and miserable.

"You're right. You are lucky to be alive and I glad you" I said with a smile on my face. "It is good to be alive even if it doesn't always feel that way" I told her while looking at the fire we had started.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked me with tears in her eyes. Lucky for the both of us Shippo had calmed down as our conversation went on.

"I'm sure Kagome is right, she did save me and then she helped me. Maybe she can help you too?" Shippo said as he looked at me and I smiled down at him.

"I have a habit of helping people" I laughed and to my surprise a quirky smile creased Sango's face.

"Oi!" I heard a familiar voice behind me and looked to see Inuyasha walking up to us dragging the monk behind him. That sight actually doesn't surprise me at all, it probably should though. "This is yours" said as he arrived at the camp and threw the wet monk, who was still unconscious, next to Sango.

"I don't want him" She said as she inched her way away from his unmoving body.

"Neither do I" Inuyasha scowled. He is still upset about what happened in the hot spring…

"I should probably apologize" I mumbled to myself and dog boy happened to hear it.

"Keh. There is no should about it. You need to apologize wench. I nearly drowned" he said in an irritated voice.

"So sorry I saved your ass dog boy" I countered with a strong dose of sarcasm. He is lucky that Sango didn't kill him in the water when he burst out in full attack mode.

"How the hell did _you _save my ass?" he asked me with narrowed eyes as he got up and in my personal space. As if that would intimidate me now, especially since we argue on a nearly daily basis.

"She is a demon slayer. You are a hanyou. Need I say more, dog boy?" I asked him in my usual challenging tone. I saw his eyes grow large in alarm at what I just said. "It's fine so don't go and do something stupid" I said with a flat face and voice. I do not want to see who the winner in a fight between Sango and Inuyasha would be.

"Oi!" he yelled in my face. "Don't call me stupid wench!"

"For the record, I never called you stupid" I said with a calm face, but I couldn't help a small smirk from forming on my face. You can't help but smile at something that is funny, besides he made it too easy.

I swear I saw a vein pop in his forehead, but he didn't get a chance to act on his anger because he had to dodge a staff wielded by the monk. I thought he was unconscious. I watched as Inuyasha drew his sword and went to attack the monk, but a giant boomerang came flying between them and then returned to Sango. "If you want to keep your heads then I would suggest you two to stop acting like barbarians" Sango said as she specifically narrowed her eyes at the monk.

Weirdly he looks familiar, but for some reason I can't place it… Oh my kami…

I stood there staring wide eyed at the monk who was heading back to where we had made camp. He saw that I was staring at him and rushed over to me with bright eyes and a smile on his face. He came up to me and grabbed my hands in his, "My dear lady this must be fate, I do not have much longer to live. I, Miroku, would like you to bear my children" he asked me and my brain was officially no longer working.

All I could think is that Jakotsu just proposed to me…

Then I was brought to my senses when I felt something, or rather someone, rubbing my butt. I gave a quick smile to the man in front of me, there is no way this is the Jakotsu I know. Their names aren't even the same. So there would be no harm in kicking his ass.

I pulled him by the hand that was holding mine and kneed him in the stomach then I backed up and used a roundhouse kick to bring him to the ground. If he ever touches me like that again I'll do worse that knock him out.

"Oi! What the hell happened?" he asked me with an angry voice, not too sure what he has to be angry about, but I am pissed.

"He touched me inappropriately. If you get in my way I will make sure you have a straight shot to hell" I said with fire in my voice, the fact that I wasn't throwing power around actually surprised me. I stalked off into the surrounding woods to try and cool my head and wrap around what I just discovered.

My friend Jakotsu is this Miroku person's reincarnation…

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A/N: hehehe, I've been waiting to put this in. :)

As always, thank you for reading and please review! :)


	93. Chapter 92: Anger

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 92: Anger

I think I might just kill him. Or beat him within an inch of his life. He is so damn lucky that Kagome beat his ass first. Not even the demon slayer sitting beside the fire could have saved him, but the wench has so much damn luck getting kidnapped or caught in unfortunate situations that I can't leave her alone.

"Inuyasha! Where are you going?" the runt asked me in a shrill voice laced in worry. The coward doesn't want to be alone with the demon slayer, though I don't blame him.

"If she attacks you, burn her" I said over my shoulder to the runt and went after Kagome. I don't have time to look after a kit that isn't my problem.

"Friendly" Sango said sarcastically as she watched Inuyasha run into the forest.

"Heh, you have no idea" Shippo said quietly from behind Kagome's things. He refused to trust the slayer, even if she said she didn't kill all demons. He had heard terrible stories about the slayers, like how they use the bones and hides of their prey to make armor and weapons.

"I promise I won't hurt you. I have no reason to" she said to Shippo with a small smile on her face as she stroked Kirara's fur. Kirara in turn let out a contented purr and gently gripped Sango's kimono with her claws.

Shippo simply nodded at her comment and sat next to Kagome's things instead of behind them. He decided to remain wary of the slayer just in case she was lying.

"So what is going between those two, anyways?" she thought out loud as she looked in the direction of Inuyasha and Kagome.

"I'm not sure, but I think she is his intended. He is really protective of her, but he could treat her better in my opinion" Shippo said in response to Sango's spoken question.

Sango looked at the kit in surprise at the fact that he noticed so much for one so young. "So he sees her as his?" Sango asked curiously. She knew that Inu youkai were incredibly protective and possessive of what they viewed as theirs, whether it be a mate or a very good friend made no difference. Though the degree of possessiveness would vary with the importance of the thing or person.

"Probably, though he would never admit it. The blockhead probably doesn't even know himself and I don't think that Kagome notices either" Shippo said in a far more chipper mood than before. Sango was glad that the fox kit was warming up to her, it was nice to be reminded that there weren't always bad demons in the world.

Sango giggled at Shippo's comment about Inuyasha. "They seem interesting and Kagome seems nice. I hope we can work together; after all there is strength in numbers" Sango said hopefully as she pet Kirara some more.

"You want to be friends with Kagome?" Shippo asked worried.

"Yes, why?" Sango answered with a question of her own, confused by the kit's tone.

"Um… no reason. I don't think that you will have trouble getting along with Kagome, but Inuyasha is a baka you are just going to have to put up with" he said to her as he threw a twig on the fire and watched as it caught fire.

Back to Inuyasha:

'Where the hell is the wench?' I mentally growled as I followed her scent through the forest all the while thinking about the fact that she would never be safe on her own. I can't let anyone know about what she is, it would be far too dangerous for the both of us. Without her I would have no jewel detector.

I arrived back at the spring we were at earlier and found her sitting on a rock kicking her feet in the water, while staring up at the darkening sky. She looked calm, innocent and strangely beautiful…

There is no way in hell I am thinking that about Kagome. None at all. "Oi, wench" I said and she turned around to look at me in, what looked like, relief.

"I thought you were someone else" she said to me and took her feet from the water to sit cross legged on the rock.

"Who the hell else were you expecting?" I said angrily.

"Hey. I'm the one who got groped not you so cool your jets" Kagome said to me in an irritated tone. She had narrowed her eyes into a scowl when she heard the tone of my voice.

"Keh, you never should have let it happen in the first place" I scowled. She shouldn't let anyone touch her like that. Never.

"What has gotten into you?" She questioned me then continued to speak. "As far as I am concerned you are not my boss nor are you my mother, so when did you get the right to give me orders?" she questioned me with her hands on her hips as she stood on the rock. I really didn't like the fact that she thought she could do whatever she wanted or the fact that she was higher than myself. It pissed me off.

I glared at her then jumped to the rock where she standing, "Listen wench. With all of the crap you have put me through doing things your way it is time you listened to me and do things my way. You are my jewel detector so listen to me" I growled at her.

She simply stared at me with the most unimpressed and pissed expression I have ever seen on her face. Her scent was held no sweetness to it, instead it smelled spicy and bitter. It was a different scent and not something I was used to smelling. Nor was it something I liked.

"If you ever talk to me like you own me again, I will go back to my time for good and you can forget about me being your 'jewel detector' because you will have to find the damn jewel all on your own" she seethed at me with clenched teeth as she tried to hold back her anger towards me. "Before I do something I will actually regret I am going back to the camp and going to sleep. Also I think it would be wise for us to join with Sango's group to look for the jewel" she said as she clenched her fists tightly at her sides as she stalked back to the small camp we had made.

We were both angry and steaming at what the other person said. I promised to protect her and to do that Kagome is going to have to listen to me instead of doing things she wants to do. This time is not as forgiving as hers. In fact it only seems to take that which we hold dear.

I don't want to lose Kagome. Not to her own time, anyone else or to an enemy. I have to get stronger or she could die. I don't want to see another woman die. I can't…

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A/N: I realized that I kind of need to make Kagome and Inuyasha be a little more aware of each other. So there will be drama in the future.

Thank you for reading and please review. :)


	94. Chapter 93: Dark Forecast

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha. Not mine. The OC's are though!

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Chapter 93: Dark Forecast

I walked back to the camp after I had calmed down and saw that Kagome was curled up with Shippo and the demon slayer, Sango, was sleeping against a tree with her demon cat in her lap. The man that had attacked me and touched Kagome was sitting next to the fire with his staff in his hand.

"I apologize for earlier. I believed you were attacking the woman" He said when he noticed my return.

"I would never attack Kagome" I growled low and threatening as a warning to never insinuate that I would do such a thing to her and to stay away from her. Though he should be apologizing for what he had done to Kagome, not just for attacking me.

"I understand that now." He said as he threw a stick into the fire. "My name is Miroku, the woman you met earlier is Sango and her companion is Kirara" Miroku said as he pointed to each person he introduced. "Lady Kagome has introduced us to Shippo and said that your name was Inuyasha" he said in a somewhat friendly tone, but I could still hear the mistrust in his voice.

"Keh, I won't stop you if you want to leave. In fact I would encourage it, we don't need your help" I scowled at him as I tried to keep my voice low enough not to wake up Kagome.

"You have a large amount of the jewel, which will lure the demon we have been hunting. Staying with your group would be beneficial to all of us" he said calmly. "So long as you have those pieces of the jewel our enemy is your enemy."

"I don't know who you are talking about, but whoever he is I can handle him" I said confidently.

"If you two had trouble with the demons from before then you would not even be able to touch him. He does not think like a normal demon should. He is cunning and cruel. The proof of that is in my hand. He cursed my family with a wind tunnel that has killed both my father and my grandfather. Eventually it will consume me as well, unless I can kill him" Miroku said with a furrowed brow, then he looked over to Sango with sympathetic eyes. "He destroyed her village and slaughtered her people. She is the only one left and she nearly died herself. The only reason we are still alive is that he enjoys watching us struggle to kill him and never succeeding in doing so" Miroku said as a dark expression crossed his face and he clenched his covered right hand.

"Keh, I never met him nor do I care about you two. All that matters to me is the jewel" I said to him as I sat down next the fire and between him and Kagome.

"You also value Lady Kagome" he said to me as he looked into my eyes with his own bark blue eyes. They did not fit how young he was; he couldn't be any older than two decades, but his eyes looked as if they had seen far more trials and suffering for one so young. "He will use her against you. He did the same thing with Sango and myself. He told her that if she killed me he would bring her brother back. Somehow he managed to make an illusion of her brother and I nearly died because she attacked me in order to have her brother back. If you have anything he can use against you he will" Miroku said to me as he rubbed his shoulder and looked over to where Sango was laying. "I will tell you this, even if you want to protect her you can't. Once he has his sights on destroying someone he will not stop until they are broken beyond repair" he said in a solemn voice and layed down on the ground to get some sleep.

I looked over to Kagome who was sleeping peacefully with Shippo, while Miroku's words were filling my head. No matter what I will protect her from whatever or whoever is coming. No matter the cost.

Kagome's mind:

"You are incredibly stupid, irresponsible and hot-blooded!" Deysi patronized me about the battle with the Thunder Brothers. It is kind of sad that I am used to this by now. "Even though you are all of those things, you still managed to beat them and come out alive" She sighed and shook her head. "I am surprised that the seal did not break though, even though you were able to bring out the sword" she said curiously.

"I have a question, why the hell wasn't I able to use the dagger as a sword before?" I asked her as I waved the dagger in front of me to try and reiterate my point.

"I am not entirely sure, in fact you were never supposed to be able to bring out the sword" she said to me as she paced around my garden tapping her finger on her lips.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" I asked her, I don't like the fact that she is not explaining everything clearly.

"Your seals seal your power and in return you are able to use the power of the one who sealed you. It is why your eyes turn blue and your power is the same color. When your grandfather sealed you enough to be passed off as human any power you use is borrowed from him. The reason why the dagger doesn't transform all of the time is because the weapons made for our race can only have one owner. In essence they choose the bearer they wish to wield them. It knows that you are not your grandfather, which is why it is dangerous for you to use your powers as a weapon channeled through it." She explained to me.

"So basically, unless the dagger itself wishes to be changed into a sword it won't be, no matter how hard I try?" I asked her, trying to grasp exactly what she was telling me.

"Yes. Though the fact that your power came out for a brief moment was surprising, since all of your seals are in place" she said to me as she walked up to me and cradled my cracked pendant in her hand. She examined it and scowled at the small piece of jewel that hung from my neck.

"What?" I asked my ever present teacher.

"I can't believe it has held out for this long. It will take a great deal of stress to break the first seal, the rest will break more easily. Then again, maybe they will not. It all depends on how your grandfather made them" She said with her brow furrowed as she let the pendant drop back to its place at my neck.

"Deysi how do you know my grandfather?" I asked her, I had to know the answer even if I didn't like it. It has been bugging me since she started talking about him.

"He was the one who trained me and helped to train my half-sister" She said with a smile. "Why?" she asked me in a somewhat concerned voice when she saw my face change.

"I am not from the other side of the well am I?" I asked her with a twisted look on my face. I don't know what I am supposed to think of the answer she gives me and I don't know what will happen if my fears are confirmed.

"Kagome. It doesn't matter where you come from, only where you are going. If you want to live in the future then do so, or if you want to live in this time then do so. Those have always been your choices and only you can make them" She said with a small smile on her face as she patted my head gently.

"I think this is enough for one night. Get some sleep and dream for once" Deysi said as she exited my garden and I fell into the abyss of sleep, all the while thinking about what I had asked and what Deysi had said.

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A/N: I don't really have much to say this time...

Thank you for reading and please review. ;)


	95. Chapter 94: True Identity

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 94: True Identity

"I wish you had never come back from the Shadow Realm" the hell-hound growled lowly at the specter before her. She held the same facial feature and hair as herself, but her skin was pale and her eyes an eerie silver.

"Hehehe. You really should work on your greetings, my dear big sister" Deysi said with a malicious smile. "It is unseemly to wish ill unto others."

"Then I suppose we are both unseemly" the hell-hound said with clenched teeth. "Leave the girl alone."

"I have no intention of letting someone so valuable slip through my fingers. She has the same power as myself, only she is more powerful" Deysi said with her teeth glinting in the dawning light of the sun.

"I know of her power already and it is nothing like yours. She was able to see far more clear than yourself and she cannot look into the future as you can" the hell-hound said dangerously. She hated the fact that Deysi was still around and was still inside of Kagome's mind.

"Oh? You think you can win against me?" she questioned as she walked up to the hell-hound and stared up into her garnet eyes with her own silver eyes. "You can't even accept your whole self and you presume you can win? You couldn't even save your mother or Lady Midoriko. You lost your throne and abandoned your people. You are helpless and can do nothing" Deysi smiled confidently as her half-sister's face twisted into one of anger, rage and sorrow.

"You will not win Deysi. I will promise you this" the hell-hound said with a level voice and cold eyes as she turned on her heal and left Deysi with her malicious smile creasing her face.

Kagome's POV:

So Inuyasha is pissed at me and I am still pissed at him.

"Um… Kagome, maybe you should make up with him?" Sango suggested to me as we were walking along the trail.

I looked over to her and said, "Not a chance."

Shippo sighed on my shoulder and I could feel him shaking his head.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Sango said as she glanced back at Inuyasha who was walking with Miroku.

"Positive" I said. I had been with Inuyasha for around a month now and our relationship has barely made any progress towards a friendship. At least we aren't trying to kill each other. "Tell me more about this Naraku person" I asked and changed the subject to a far more interesting one.

"He is a demon that has been chasing after the jewel for around fifty years" Sango said to me and I really don't like the fact that his timeline matches up with Inuyasha's.

"I heard he almost got it one time by deceiving a priestess, but she took it with her to her grave. Then it showed up in many pieces around a month ago and ever since the country has become even more turbulent than it was before" Sango continued to explaining to me and the more she said the more unease I felt. It was like the missing puzzle pieces were slowly being placed where they belong.

"We need to get back to Kaede's village. I need to restock supplies and I want to ask her some questions" I mumbled under my breath, but Sango heard me.

"Who is Kaede?" she asked me as we continued on the path to Kaede's village.

"A nice older lady. She was the sister of the priestess who last had the jewel" I informed Sango. It is strange that this jewel ties so many people together. I don't like the fact that there are so many factors at play and so many mysteries that we can't solve. It is unnerving to not know what you are getting into.

Sango opened her mouth to say something, then shut it after seeing the serious expression I held on my face. "Tell me as much as you know about Naraku" I said to her in a determined voice.

"Alright" she said as she nodded her head and proceeded to tell me about our enemy. She told me of how he manipulates demons to do his work and enjoys causing both emotional and physical pain to others. Another thing that she told me is that he is a shape shifter and that he uses demon puppets in his form to fool his enemies. The more I heard about this demon Naraku the less I liked him.

Eventually we arrived at Kaede's village a few days later. Inuyasha still grumpy and mad at me and myself the same way. I walked to Kaede's hut and everyone except for Inuyasha followed me inside. "Kaede I'm back!" I said to the older woman who was stirring a pot over the fire.

She looked up from what she was doing and smiled at me brightly, "Kagome child I am glad to see that you are safe, and you have brought company" Kaede said to me as I introduced everyone who had joined us since the last time we were at the village.

"It is nice to meet you all" Kaede said.

"Kaede I was wondering if you would be able to take care of Shippo until we get rid of the jewel?" I asked her and she looked from me to Shippo standing in front of Sango.

"I would my dear, but I am far too old to be looking after a demon child" She said as she got out some bowls and handed each of us a bowl of the stew.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that" I mumbled to myself.

Shippo walked up to me and tugged on my pants. "Kagome I can you help you and I promise I won't get in your way" Shippo said to me with a large smile on his face.

"I'm sure you would, but I have a feeling that it would be dangerous for you" I said to him. Thanks to his demon blood his arm has healed and he is back to his normal self. Inuyasha is probably alright as well, but I still have some cuts and scrapes that have yet to heal. Getting stabbed with a thunder pike is not conducive for fast healing.

"I would suggest that you take the kit with you, he could help you on your quest" Kaede said and then a loud slap rang out in the small hut.

Sango was scowling at Miroku, who was currently on the floor with a large lump on his head. "Lecher" she said and continued to eat her stew. I have this feeling that I am going to get used to hearing those noises.

I looked outside and realized that the sun was probably going to set soon and I needed to get to the well before it did. "I will be back in a few days. I need to go home and restock my supplies" I said as I left the hut. Over the last few days I had told them that I was not from this time, but from 500 years in the future. Now I just have to get past Inuyasha and to that time.

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A/N: I was originally going to make Deysi a very tragic character, but I changed my mind and I have now made her sinister. I will say nothing more about her. :P

Thank you for reading and please review.


	96. Chapter 95: Painting

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. -_-

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Chapter 95: Painting

I walked through the forest towards the well without encountering Inuyasha, but I knew I couldn't get this lucky. Not surprising I was right. Dog boy was actually waiting at the well. "You can't stop me from going home Inuyasha" I said and his ears twitched once before his eyes met my own.

"Keh, I told you before. You can't go back there" he said as he got up off of the well and kept his hands in his sleeves.

I looked at his face and posture then thought back to our previous conversation. Inuyasha has always been trying to protect me and it is probably getting to him that I keep getting hurt. I sighed and looked him straight in the eyes. "Okay. I know you promised to protect me, but I absolutely refuse to sit on the sidelines and watch my friends getting hurt. I appreciate you protecting me, but I can actually protect myself and I would rather fight alongside you instead of being protected. I don't like being treated as if I am easily broken. You yourself have seen what I can do" I said to him as he continued to stand in my way. Honestly I don't think I even fight with my brother this much. "I told you a while ago that I trust you. Now I need you to trust me. I need you to trust me that I can fight as well. Besides you should know me well enough to know I won't just sit back and watch" I said and let a small smile cross my face in reassurance.

"I am still not going to let you go to that strange time of yours" Inuyasha said gruffly.

I sighed and took a calming breath because if I use force now he will just come and get me later anyways. "Can't you at least trust me that I will come back to finish what I have started?" I asked him with a raised brow.

His eyes widened a fraction, then went back to normal after what I had said. "Keh. You have two days. Any longer and I am coming to get you" he said and jumped back into the forest. Well that was relatively painless.

I ran and jumped into the well that would take me to my own time. The pink and purple light engulfed me and when it faded I looked up to see the roof of the well house and the fading light of the sun. I used the ladder to climb up and out of the well and walked to my house.

When I walked inside I saw that my mother was on the phone with someone. Her face brightened up when she saw me and placed the phone against her chest. "Kagome dear, Jakotsu is on the phone. Do you want to talk to him?" she asked me in a happy tone.

I felt my face pale then I avidly shook my head no and ran up to my room. Jak is a great guy and all, but he is the last person I want to talk to right now. I am still trying to get my mind around how scary time actually is.

"Sorry, Jakotsu. What was it you were saying?" Kagome's mother asked as she placed the phone against her ear once more.

"No problem Ms. Higurashi. I was just saying that Kara is heading your way. She left for Japan this morning after I dropped her off at the airport. She wants give Kagome the photos she took in Brasil, they are absolutely breathtaking. Not to mention the men were to die for!" Jak said excitedly on the other side of the line and Ms. Higurashi simply giggled at the last comment he had said.

"Jakotsu, I thought you liked the men in France?" she questioned teasingly.

"Oh, honey I love the men in France, but then again I love just about any sexy man. The hard part is getting them to return my feelings" Jak said disappointedly then took a moment to continue. "Well it was nice talking with you, but I have to get back to work now that my lunch break is over" he said cheerfully and said his goodbyes to Kagome's mother. Ms. Higurashi simply said goodbye and good luck as she hung up the phone.

Meanwhile Kagome was getting everything she needed for the past together and layed out all of the clothes on her bed and then proceeded to stuff all of them into her large yellow backpack. After she was done she went downstairs and painted well into the night. She was concerned that she wasn't able to get the coloring of Deysi's portrait correct. She couldn't decide on the background let alone the color of it and her eyes seemed to be off. She found it strange and frustrating that she couldn't get it right, then she thought of something. Deysi never visited her when she was in this time. "Well that is just weird" Kagome said out loud and went back to painting another painting. This painting was inspired by Inuyasha himself. She painted the backdrop of a forest flashing by. The greens and browns melding together into a blur of motion. Kagome got up to take a shower and get some sleep; allowing the paint to dry overnight.

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A/N: I promise there is a reason for everything.

Thank you for reading and please review.


	97. Chapter 96: Kara

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own all of the OC's: Kara, Tora, Aya, Deysi and the Hell-Hound.

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Chapter 96: Kara

Knock Knock

Ms. Higurashi walked to the door early the next morning to someone knocking. When she opened the door she came face to face with a thin, mocha skinned woman smiling brightly. "Kara it is good to see you again!" she squealed and gave her a large hug.

"It is good to see you again as well, Ms. Higurashi. It has been a long time" Kara said as she returned the hug that launched at her. "I figured I might get to see Kagome for a little bit, or at least get the address where she is staying" Kara said as she pried herself away from Kagome's mother.

"She hasn't settled on a place as of yet, but right now she is up in her room. I am not sure she is up yet though…" Ms. Higurashi said and Kara's face broke out into a mischievous grin.

"Is anyone else sleeping?" she asked.

"No I don't believe they are" Ms. Higurashi said in a questioning voice, urging Kara to explain why she asked.

"Could I wake Kagome up with a loud noise?" Kara said hopefully.

Ms. Higurashi simply shook her head as she opened the door more to let Kara in. Said girl ran up the stairs and snuck into Kagome's room.

'She is so peaceful' Kara thought before she reached into her bag and pulled out an air horn. As she plugged her ears she pressed the button at its top and let loose the loud and obnoxious noise.

Kagome's POV:

My sleep was interrupted by an incredibly loud and obnoxious noise that pierced the silence of my room.

"Gahhhh!" I screamed and covered my ears as I scuttled to the farthest corner of my bed up against the wall. As soon as I got my bearings and the noise stopped I looked around my room and saw my best friend holding a blow horn with an evil grin plastered on her face. So I did the only thing I could think of in that situation. I launched myself at her.

Turns out it was a bad idea to do so because I ended up face down on the ground with Kara sitting on my back and one of my arms pulled back behind me with her other hand placed in the middle of my back. "Really, you should know that you can't win against me" Kara chuckled as she got up off of my back and helped me up off of the floor. "I was hoping that we could go out for a while before I go to a meeting" she asked me with a genuine smile on her face.

"Of course, Starbucks?" I asked. Actually I hadn't been to one in a very long time, then again I haven't been back to this time for a while either.

"Fine, but you buy" she said to me.

"Hey! I'm not the one that owns a company!" I yelled as I gathered clothes to change into.

"I don't own it. I am on the board, my father is a co-owner though" she corrected me and I simply rolled my eyes at her, which she then simply stuck her tongue out at me in response.

"How are you on the board when you can't even have a mature conversation, or dress like a business person?" I questioned her when I took in what she was wearing. She had on a blue jacket with 'I'm not sorry' printed on the back, maroon jeans and black ankle boots. When she turned around I saw that she was also wearing a fitted black shirt that read 'Sometimes I wrestle with my demons… Sometimes we just cuddle'. Not to mention her hair. It was a short bob with long bangs that hung over one brown eye. In the middle of her bangs was a light blue stripe of color.

"I put a lot of effort into this outfit. I didn't even wear chains or a corset today. You should be proud of me" she said in an expectant tone. I simply smiled and shook my head. It was true her style was completely her own. It would consist of mostly jeans, leather, silver chains and dark colors. The complete opposite of the brightly dressed and skirt loving Aya. It amazes me that we all fit together into such a close group of friends.

"Whatever, could you leave so that I can get dressed?" I asked her, I was after all still in my pajamas.

"We are both girls Kagome" Kara said with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression.

I simply walked over to my desk and opened a drawer full of junk that have yet to go through and throw away. After searching for a moment I found a lacrosse ball. 'This should hurt' I thought to myself as I shut the drawer and bounced the ball in my hand with an evil grin on my face. "Lacrosse ball vs. air horn… which do you think we will win?" I asked my friend.

"Well I guess we will never know" she said as she saluted me and walked out of my room. I chuckled to myself, it was something she always did. Every time she said goodbye or made her exit she would hold two fingers up to her forehead and bring her hand away from her head in a lazy arch. It was as if she was always saying 'I will see you again'. To me it was always like a promise.

I got dressed in a green shirt and jeans with a white crop-top jacket over my shoulders. I slipped on a pair of vans and walked out of my room to go downstairs. I entered the kitchen and walked in on my mother and Kara laughing loudly. "It was absolutely hilarious the look Jak gave the guy who said we made a good couple. Though he wasn't wearing any make up at the time" Kara giggled as she remembered what had happened to her and Jak.

"When did you see Jak? I thought you were in Brazil?" I asked her curiously.

"I made a pit stop in France before I came here and met up with some business partners and Jak a little later. I much prefer hanging out with Jak over some old guys" she said nonchalantly. Only Kara would think that is normal.

"You are nowhere close to being normal" I said with a smirk on my face.

"Would have even been my friend if I was" she asked me incredulously.

"We would have hated each other" I laughed and Kara just smiled brightly at me.

"It was nice talking with you Ms. Higurashi, but I am going to steal Kagome for a little while" Kara said as she dragged me out the door.

"So are we taking the train or bus?" I asked her.

She seemed to think about it for a little bit, but then made up her mind. "Let's take the bus, that way we can catch up some more" she said. On our way downtown we passed our old school and talked about all of the trouble we had caused said school. We talked about Kara's adventures in Brazil and all of the photos she had taken there. I talked about seeing Aya and Tora again and how I found out about their relationship. Kara had known they were in a relationship before they had known, she has a knack for that. We talked about the things we did when we were kids.

"That one time when your mother was driving us to kendo practice was hilarious" Kara said with a chuckle.

"Which time?" I asked her, we had many memorable rides in my mom's car.

"The time when your brother was with us and your mom cursed" she said with a smile on her face. I instantly recalled what she was talking about. That day we were running late and Souta happened to be in the car with us. Someone pulled out right in front of my mom and she cursed loudly.

"Yeah, I don't think I will ever forget that day, nor will I let Souta live down what he said" I giggled and we both looked at each other.

We smiled and simultaneously said what Souta had said that day, "But mommy, you're not a mother fucker." We both cracked up and gained the gaze of everyone on the bus, which just fueled our laughter.

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A/N: fun fact about myself, the 'mother f***er' scene actually happened. Except I was the one who said it and my brother was too young to say anything, but baby noises. It surprised the heck out of my mom and she couldn't believe she taught me my first bad word instead of my dad. Absolutely hilarious in my opinion. :)

Anyways, thank you for reading and please review.


	98. Chapter 97: Back to Business

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Starbucks or Jaws.

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Chapter 97: Back to Business

We arrived at Starbucks and ordered our drinks. "I will have a caramel macchiato, grande" I said to the cashier. I gave him my name and paid for my drink. Not so surprising Kara ordered a grande hot chocolate.

"You are such a child" I said to her once we got our drinks.

"Says the virgin 18 year old" she said with a smirk as she took a drink of her hot chocolate. "Besides I don't like the taste of coffee" she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey! I am more mature than you most of the time" I said and pouted as we sat down outside.

"Who is the one who is married, has a job and has a house?" she asked me with a smug smirk on her face.

"Who is the one who doesn't act or dress like she is still a teenager?" I countered and saw her glare at me.

"Touché" she said as she brought her cup up to take another drink of her hit chocolate. Another point is made in my defense as she drinks her non coffee drink from Starbucks.

"Okay, new topic. How are things with this husband I have never met?" I asked her. I actually would like to meet someday, but I have yet to do so.

"Good actually. I go off on business and end up pissing him off at the same time" she said to me.

"Exactly how does that happened?" I asked her and began to feel sorry for the man she married.

"I don't tell him where I am going and then he finds out through the company or news when I make a new deal" she responded to my question.

"One of the many keys to a successful relationship is communication" I said in an unamused tone.

"You should also at least like the person. Which is why I married him besides it was good for the company. I would never subject myself to a feelingless relationship" she said and let out a small smile.

"You love him!" I exclaimed. Now I have to meet the guy who captured her wild heart.

"No. At least I don't think so, but I do know I don't want to live without him" she said quietly, meanwhile I was practically bouncing in my seat.

"Soooo… does he love you?" I asked excitedly.

"Maybe, but I don't know. We never talk about our feelings, but he is really good in bed" Kara said and I blushed.

"I don't need any more details than that" I said and took a sip of my macchiato.

"You sure? Because I could give you some pointers for you and your boyfriend" she said as she wiggled her eyebrows and I choked on my mocchiato.

"What boyfriend?!" I asked as I tried to clear my throat of my delicious drink.

"The strange cosplayer?" Kara said in an expectant tone.

"Inuyasha? He isn't my boyfriend!" I shouted at her and drew the attention of some people outside.

"Denial is the first step to acceptance" she said with a smirk on her face.

"Don't even start. He is an arrogant, immature, possessive jerk!" I seethed and I could feel my face growing warm. I hate blushing.

"If he is such a jerk then have nothing to do with him" she said and leaned back in her chair after she put her empty cup on the table.

"No way! He is a good guy. He helps me, protects me and lets me vent out my anger when I need to. I may not have known him for very long, but he is a good friend" I said, more like ranted. Unfortunately I realized after my rant that I had fallen into a trap.

"So you actually feel _something _for him" she said and smiled like a cat that just cornered its prey.

"Drop it" I said and put my head down on the table and surrounded my head with my arms.

"Yeah~, that isn't very likely. I want to know more about this mysterious Inuyasha. He sounds like a fun person to meet" she said thoughtfully.

"Not as much as you think" I retorted back to her.

The next thing I heard was the theme from Jaws ringing from Kara's pocket. Saved by the… shark I guess.

"Hello, this is Kara" she answered then ended the call. "Sorry, wrong number" she said with a smile, but then her phone went off again with the same ringtone.

"Wrong number?" I asked her with a smug look.

"Ugh! I hate handling business" she said and let the phone ring.

"And I am the immature one here?" I asked her and my smile grew larger as she glared at me and answered her phone.

"What?! It is my day off" she said rudely.

"_You are on the board, you don't get a day off" _the voice on the other line said.

"Well that is too bad because I am taking one" she said in a stubborn tone.

_"__You have ten minutes to get your ass to the meeting. If you miss this Takeru will have your hide"_ the voice said angrily on the other end.

"I am in a city, Tokyo, you can't get anywhere in ten minutes" she said with a deadpan look on her face.

"_Don't care, just get here"_ the voice said and then ended the call.

"Sadly business calls. I wonder if I can call in sick." Kara wondered out loud.

"Kara, you have a job and you should probably do it" I said with a smirk on my face.

She sighed and got up to throw away her empty cup. I got up with her and threw away my empty cup as well. "I guess I should probably go in to work then."

"Probably" I said as we walked to the bus stop.

"Well this is goodbye for now" Kara said as she saw the bus a ways down the street backed up by traffic.

"It was great to see you again, we have to do this more often" I said as we hugged each other.

"Definitely. Oh and Kagome" she said as she started to walk away to grab a taxi.

"Yeah" I responded.

"If you can't imagine your life without by your side then there is at least something there. Just food for thought" she said as she did her lazy salute as a goodbye.

I just shook my head as I got on the bus with a smile on my face. Though I somehow couldn't imagine my life without the irritated hanyou.

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A/N: this was originally supposed to be part of the previous chapter, but I split it up.

Thank you for reading and please review. :)


	99. Chapter 98: Information Hunting

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Sorry, but this is a short chapter. The next few should be longer.

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Chapter 98: Information Hunting

Needless to say Inuyasha is just as impatient as I expected him to be. It hadn't even been 48 hours and he came to get me in the middle of lunch so that I could get back and find more jewel shards. It doesn't help that I keep thinking of what Kara last said to me, but I don't really have to hide it since I get irritated with Inuyasha on an hourly basis.

"You are so impatient" I said to him as we were walking back to Kaede's village.

"Keh if I hadn't come to get you then you would have stayed in that strange time of yours" Inuyasha said in rebuke of my statement.

"First, I would have come back and second I had a good six hours left to spend in my world" I said right back to him. Maybe I never should have threatened to go back to my own world, then again if I had to I would make good on that threat. I guess it wasn't meaningless. Though before we do any kind of jewel hunting, I need to talk to Kaede about what she remembers from fifty years ago.

"Keh!" was all the response I received form the irritated hanyou, not that he had anything to be irritated about.

"We will go hunting for the jewel tomorrow, I have things I need to talk to Kaede about" I told him. Now he has something to be irritated about.

"Oi. You don't make all of the decisions here. You got those two to stay with us while you were gone and you left me with that runt. We are going jewel hunting" he said as he narrowed his eyes at me. Maybe making him socializing was a bad idea, or maybe it was just the people he socialized with.

"Jewel detector" I said as I pointed to myself with a smug face.

Inuyasha smiled and I swear I could see a vein pop on his head. When Inuyasha smiled it was usually never a good sign. I was right. He picked me up and flung me over his shoulder as he walked away from Kaede's village. I do not like being manhandled. Not really my thing.

"Inuyasha put me down!" I snarled at him. I have things I need to do dammit!

"Keh, not a chance wench" he said back to me. I didn't even need to see his face to know he had a smug smirk plastered on it.

I sighed, I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. "Osuwari" I said and actually saw the beads glow before they dragged both of us to the ground and once again Inuyasha's spell bound body was keeping me on the ground. Not exactly my favorite position, but drastic times call for drastic measures. "I really don't want to do that again. One day won't hurt and the more we know the less we will have to worry about" I said to Inuyasha, whose face was in the dirt.

"When I get this rosary off I am going to get you back for every one of those damn commands" He growled into the ground just as the spell was wearing off.

"The likelihood of that even happening is not very high before all of this is done and I go back to my own time" I said to Inuyasha. I saw something flash in his eyes, but I wasn't quick enough to recognize what it was.

"Keh. Let's just get back to the village" Inuyasha said and headed back in the direction of Kaede's village. I sat on the ground trying to figure out why he was in such a sour mood and then decided it was best to follow him back to the village after all.

"We're back Kaede!" I said as I entered the hut with Inuyasha following behind me. Miroku and Sango looked like they were going to stay with us for a while and I am glad Shippo feels comfortable enough around Sango to play with Kirara. I want a cat like that. It is deceivingly cute.

"Welcome back" rang out in the small hut as everyone greeted us.

"Kaede could you tell me if there was anyone who would want to harm Kikyo?" I asked, I figured it would be best to get down to business instead of dawdling. After all Inuyasha would drag me on another hunt for a shard of the jewel tomorrow morning at the butt crack of dawn whether I wanted to go or not.

"She was a powerful miko. Any demon wanted to kill her, even more because she possessed the jewel" Inuyasha scoffed. I just gave him a look that said 'I'm not stupid'. To which he raised a doubtful brow. If I wasn't afraid to put a hole in Kaede's floor I would have 'osuwari'd his ass.

"Was there anyone who stuck out or who was very persistent in trying to obtain the jewel?" I asked Kaede. Kaede simply looked over to Inuyasha with her one good eye as if trying to point out the obvious. "Besides dog-boy" I said, my patience today is not really present. Not that I have much patience to begin with anyways.

Kaede went back to stoking the small fire in the middle of her hut with a thoughtful expression on her face. I saw her eye widen and she then looked at me in the eye, "There was one. His name was Onigumo."

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A/N: So I have had some writers block and I promised myself that I would finish one of my other fanficitons before I updated again. Hence the long pause between updates. Well at least the story will start to pick up (hopefully).

Thank you for reading and please review. :)


	100. Chapter 99: Onigumo

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There I said it.

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Chapter 99: Onigumo

"There was one. His name was Onigumo" Kaede said with a serious expression shadowing her face. "He was a despicable man and yet my sister took pity on him. He was once a bandit, but was badly burned and was no longer able to move. Thus we moved him to a cave not far from the village where he stayed until the day he died."

"What makes you think that he would wish ill will upon your deceased sister?" Miroku asked. I have been avoiding him and really just coming into contact with him since I figured out his connection to Jak and the fact he touched me. I really didn't feel like maiming someone who could be useful. He might even be able to train me some since he is a monk. I think?

"When my sister was elsewhere I would be the one to tend to the man. Though he rarely spoke on that day he decided to speak to me he spoke of my sister and the jewel" Kaede said and recounted exactly what had happened that day.

_"__Girl" a man who laid immobile on the rasped from his damaged throat._

_"__Kaede" a younger Kaede said to the man who lay next to her as she tended to his wounds. The man who was at death's door was a bandit by the name of Onigumo._

_"__Yes. They say that the jewel takes on a beautiful hue when it has been tainted to darkness. Oh how I would love to see the Priestess Kikyo tainting the jewel she has kept so pure. It truly would be a wonderful sight" Onigumo rambled about his desire for the jewel to turn to darkness and to see Kikyo turn along with it. All the while Kaede held in her anger towards the wicked man and wished for his end to come swiftly._

"When I told my sister about what he had said she simply told me to have pity on the man because we do not know his circumstances. Even though she told me to do so I still felt as if he was evil" Kaede said with a sorrowful and disgusted expression on her face. Inuyasha was sitting and sulking in a corner because we were talking about Kikyo. Sango and Miroku were trying to connect the dots just as I was. Though I needed to know more before I could place all of the pieces in the correct order.

"Was there anything else?" I asked Kaede. There had to be all of it almost fit together.

"I am afraid child that is all that I know. The man died in a terrible fire in the cave, which left neither flesh nor bones" Kaede said as she tossed a small log onto the fire and it quickly rose then fell as it continued to burn the wood that was fueling it.

"The fire would have to have been incredibly hot to melt bone…" I pondered out loud and Inuyasha gave me a suspicious look which I caught out of the corner of my eye.

"Kagome, what are you thinking about?" Sango asked me. She must have noticed my face as I was thinking. I have a tendency to physically show the fact I am thinking. Kara can practically read me like a book, not that it is all that hard.

"Kaede do you think you could show us where Onigumo died?" I asked and I looked around the room at everyone who was staring at me. Everyone was surprised at what I asked, but it was something that needed to be done. I needed to know if this Onigumo was actually ever connected to this Naraku. Either way something about Onigumo's story didn't quite sit right with me.

Kaede sighed and then got up off of the wood floor of her hut. "There is still light in the day, we should hurry to Onigumo's cave. I have not been there in fifty years so there is no promise of anything remaining" Kaede said as she headed to the door.

"Thank you Kaede" I said quietly as I followed her out the door with the rest of our group in tow. Inuyasha walked nest to me as we walked through the forest and into a clearing. As I took in my surroundings I felt a heavy sense of déjà vu. As we entered a field of tall grass it was like looking into the past. I have been here before; it was where my mother, father and I would play during the days of the year. I could almost hear our laughter as we ran through the grass.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked and I was wretched back to reality.

"I'm fine" I said and continued on the path before I realized I had even stopped to sift through past memories that were slowly coming back to me. The more memories I retrieved the more I felt grounded to this time and distanced from my own time in the future. Even if the future wasn't my time at all.

We continued through the grass until we reached a bluff with a cave at its base. The closer we got to the cave the more uneasy I felt. It was if I had felt this presence before and as we entered the cave I realized what it was. This was the presence that had possessed me and placed me on this path. It was when I met Deysi and when I chose the path of the Miko. Now I have a name to put with the disgusting feeling I get when I feel the presence. Now I know… Onigumo is Naraku.

I didn't enter the cave any further, rather I refused to enter it. I could feel the dark and evil aura surrounding the place and filling the very air, even though 50 years have passed. I started to feel sick from the unpleasant sensation of the air crawling over my skin.

"Kagome?" Sango asked me concerned as she stopped descending into the cave.

"Inuyasha" I said as I kept my eyes on a place at the bottom of the cave that was devoid of any vegetation. "We met Naraku once before."

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A/N: Well that is another chapter done and now the story should pick up a little. Luckily I have the next few arcs planned out. Well at least we will get to meet everyone's favorite spider demon.

Thank you for reading and please review. :)


	101. Chapter 100: What Lies in the Past

I have done this disclaimer many times, over 100 to be precise, for this story. I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does.

Though the OC's are mine and I love all of them!

Alright let's meet everyone's favorite spider hanyou.

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Chapter 100: What Lies in the Past

"May I ask to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting one of your race?" a demon clad in a white baboon cloak said darkly to the hell-hound standing in front of him.

"I have an… experiment I would like to complete" She said with a crooked smile crossing her face as she played with a vile of dark liquid in her clawed hand. "If used right this could allow you to acquire both of what you seek" she said vaguely enough to get the demon to take the bait.

"Oh? And what is it you assume I want?" the demon clad in the baboon cloak said darkly as he raised his guard against the far more powerful demon before him.

"If used right… you could acquire a large piece of the jewel and the child of the divine demon. Quite a fair trade if you simply allow myself to witness what shall come to pass" she reiterated as she gazed at the contents of the bottle in her hand. So long as he used its contents her suspicions would be confirmed or proved groundless. Though first she would have to gain his trust and have him cooperate with her plans.

"Do expect me to simply fall for such a blatant lie" the demon scowled and the hell-hound raised her brow in annoyance at the demon in front of her.

She may not be as proud as most demons, but the fact he was insinuating she was telling anything but the truth spurned her the wrong way. "If you are content in being spiteful to those simply trying to bargain then I shall take my leave. It would not have to be an amalgamation of many demons and a human to serve the needs I have" She said and walked away from the demon, or she started to until he spoke again.

"I apologize. I simply wished to know the truth. Why do you insist on it being me who uses such a substance?" the demon asked, treading carefully as the hell-hound knew far more than he thought. 'She is very dangerous' his mind whispered to him over and over again.

"You are the only one with such a grudge against her and those she travels with. This" she said motioning to the bottle in her hand, "reacts far better to one filled with malice and evil intent than some meager demon looking for a meal and power" the hell-hound responded to his question. Though her answer was anything but honest. She needed him to use it to see if her suspicions were right.

"Very well. You have piqued my interest, may I ask for your name?" the demon asked as he looked into the blood red eyes of the hell-hound before him.

"I have no name I am willing to give, so therefore I will not ask for yours" she said as she extended her hand with the small bottle held in her palm. "If it is sent on the wind it will create an illusionary landscape that even she would not be able to identify what is reality and illusion. It will only work once, so I advise you to be careful with its use" she stated as the demon cloaked in the baboon pelt took the vial from her hand.

"I will use it wisely then" the demon said, but when he looked back to where the hell-hound was once standing stood no one and he was once again alone in the wilderness.

"You should not trust her" a female voice said from behind him. It was a voice he knew very well. After all it was she who made him.

"Deysi, it has been a long time" he said as he removed his coat and bowed in front of the ghostly specter.

"It has Naraku" Deysi said with a crooked smile on her face. She did so enjoy watching her sister struggle needlessly to try and change fate and eradicate her being from the earth. It sent a pleasurable tingle throughout her being. Though she would allow her to struggle for a little longer since it was so enjoyable to her.

**Elsewhere before night fall:**

The spirit wolf demon paced back and for the between the trees as she waited for her adoptive mother to make and appearance. She knew that she had gone to see Naraku and set a trap for Deysi. It was less of a trap and more of a way to identify her presence. She had suspected the dark hanyou and Deysi to have a connection after he had cursed a human with a wind tunnel leading to the Shadow Realm. The wind tunnel was a nuisance since it would feed those that dwelt on the other side of her mother's barrier.

"Ayame, you do not need to pace any longer" the hell-hound said with slight amusement crossing her face.

"You didn't kill him did you?" Ayame asked, almost hoping she had.

"No. Though I had to restrain myself throughout the entire exchange" she said to her daughter.

"Is it because he was the one who killed Rinne?" Ayame asked even though it was a touchy topic. She had heard stories from Hoshiyomi about how she would go to this realm to meet Akihiro and Rinne. She would hear stories about the violet eyed hanyou from her mother and would feel pangs of jealosy that she wasn't getting the same treatment and that she had never met him. Then one day all of the stories stopped and she would only periodically go to the mortal realm to strengthen a barrier. Rinne, Kagome's father, was like a brother to her if not more. 'Perhaps, she saw what Deysi was like before reflected in him?' she questioned herself as she watched the hell-hound stand still with sorrowful eyes.

"I won't let him do it again. Even if I have to murder the bastard myself" she said with a wrathful voice that came out as a low and dangerous growl as her usual cool mask broke before her daughter.

"Though even if you didn't save him that day, you did save Aysel" Ayame said calmly as she recalled the day she had come back though the barrier with another group of refugees, two of them being Aysel and her mother.

"Yes, but that is in the past. I will send you back to the Shadow Realm. Kai has been missing his princess dearly" she said and watched as Ayame gained a pained and annoyed face at her subordinate's name.

"Can I stay here?" she pleaded with her mother.

"No. I will stay here and observe what is to happen. If he has nothing to do with Deysi I will murder him. Though if he does then he will be useful even to me" the hell-hound answered her adoptive daughter.

"Why do you wish to break Kagome's seals so badly?" Ayame asked, she knew that was the only reason the hanyou was alive in the first place. He would easily be able to cause Kagome to break her seals.

"The sooner her seals break the sooner Deysi can be eradicated from her mind" she answered and opened the path to the Shadow Realm and Ayame left through the portal in the shadows.

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A/N: Okay so I will be annoying every 10 chapters because I want people to vote on the Hell-hound's name. Yes I have her name already picked, but I want to see if people can guess it right. The poll is at the TOP of my profile page so you don't have to read all of the useless information I put on my profile.

Also the more I write about Deysi the more I like her double personality. She is so evil, I kind of love it. Either way, pay attention to her. She is important.

Alright that is all. Oh! I also can't believe I have written over 100 chapters (extra chapter somewhere in there) for this story.

So thank you for reading and please review.


	102. Chapter 101: A Trap Set

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

If you haven't noticed by now, I like cliff hangers.

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Chapter 101: A Trap Set

I continued to fire after arrow at the target I had set up on the temple grounds after we had arrived back to the village. Everyone else was eating dinner, but I wasn't hungry in the least bit. Tomorrow morning I would probably be starving, but the thought of food made me nauseous after being in that cave. Miroku had confirmed that an evil force still lingered where Onigumo had died, or rather where his body was last. Miroku had also confirmed that the evil there was far too similar to Naraku's to be anything but his.

I sighed as I missed the bull's-eye, again. I hadn't managed to get the arrow close to the center of the board on the tree. Though I did always hit the board with every arrow I notched. That was a bonus. I looked to the fading light of the sun and thought over what we had found out today. Going back to the awkward explanation of how I was possessed by Naraku without telling Miroku or Sango I was a quarter demon, a quarter Divine Demon. She was sure that telling them that was not the best idea and she made Shippo swear not to tell them about it. The less people who knew the safer she would be and Inuyasha agreed with her on that point at least. She learned of what Naraku had done to Sango and her village and about Miroku's cursed hand that had killed both his grandfather and his father. He told her that he too would be consumed by it if he did not kill Naraku in time.

I let loose another sigh as she drew her arrow back once more and fired at the target before me. Once again I missed the center, but hit the target. I decided that glaring daggers at the target would spontaneously make my aim better, but the truth was that I was simply trying to relieve stress and take my mind off of all the information it received today. Naraku is Onigumo. Onigumo wanted the jewel and therefore probably tricked Inuyasha and Kikyo, how he did I have no clue, which caused Inuyasha to be stuck to the Goshinboku and the jewel to come back into this world bringing me with it. The jewel can grant the user his or hers wish, but it comes at a steep price. So far I don't know how to get rid of Naraku or the jewel, but if I could do so in one go I would be happy. Then again Life doesn't always work out that way, in fact it rarely does.

I sighed as I sat on the ground and held my head. I longed to go back to my time and just live a normal life even if I wasn't human, but life had other plans. Plans that involved me falling down a well and being attacked by monsters. Whose ever decision it was to bring me here it was not a smart one.

I mentally ranted and pouted at the same time as I secretly complained about what was happening to me and those around me. Every once in a while it feels good to be a little whiny and childish. Granted I rarely whine, but it helps to let off steam.

I laid down on the cold stone ground and laid my bow and arrows next to me as I closed my eyes and simply enjoyed the quiet of the fading day. It was peaceful until a light shone in front of my eyelids. If someone found a flashlight and was flashing it in front of my face I was going to kill them. When I did finally open my eyes I saw something akin to a firefly hovering in front of my face. Then it dashed around in front of me until I sat up and looked around. All around me there were these floating lights like something out of a dream… I was probably dreaming.

The next thing I saw were small white foxes running through the trees and a multitude of the firefly like creatures lighting up the once dark forest. It was beautiful and mysterious and made me wonder what was in the forest. I got up from the soft grassy ground and walked into the forest before me. I ventured deeper and deeper all the while the lights danced around me and small beautiful creatures seemed to dance beneath my feet. It was beautiful and peaceful, I never wanted it to end.

Then all of the creatures and fireflies scattered. I looked to see what they were running from, then I saw it. A huge black hound. It was easily the size of Inuyasha's half-brother when he was in his demonic form. Except it had a certain beauty to it. Its sleek fur rustled with every movement and its predatory crimson eyes were surrounded by even deeper crimson markings that made their way down its neck and down one long, muscular leg. Even though it stood as tall as Sesshoumaru's form it was far leaner than the bulky form of the dog demon. After the hound was in full view it walked towards me at a slow pace and I saw that it had three tails swishing behind its form with every step.

Even though it was beautiful it was scary as hell to have something so obviously dangerous and deadly approaching you. The only reason why I wasn't running is because I was literally frozen in fear as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. I watched as it brought its face close to mine and I gazed into its large crimson eyes, I swear I have seen those eyes somewhere before. As it stared at me a million scenarios ran through my head, most of them ended badly, but I wasn't prepared for what happened next. The demon in front of me breathed in and then exhaled over me.

The breath caused my eyes to burn and me to cough repeatedly until I could breathe clean air. When I was finally able to open my eyes again the hound was gone and for some reason Deysi's words echoed in my head 'it is something of a guardian'. Then I took in my surroundings and I knew that she was right. I hadn't been dreaming I had been falling into a trap.

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A/N: well I don't really have anything to talk about...

Thanks for reading and please review. :)


	103. Chapter 102: Naraku

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 102: Naraku

Everywhere surrounding me was an ominous, dark purple cloud of swirling poison and a presence that makes me physically sick. "What the hell are you?" I said through clenched teeth as I reached for my dagger and found that it wasn't at my side. I had left it at Kaede's hut before I went to practice. Since I didn't feel the weight of my bow on my back I knew that I was weaponless. 'Great.'

"Kukukuku. You presume to ask questions despite your current predicament, little miko?" a dark and sinister voice called out from within the toxic mist. Though what really grabbed my attention was the sensation of a jewel shard nearby. Only this time it wasn't just one or two it was a mass of shards that came from the same direction of the voice.

'This is not good' I thought to myself as I sent power to my hands. I had just recovered from the fight with the Thunder Brothers and I was not keen on getting injured, again. Deysi had yet to teach me how to make an impenetrable barrier, but I did know how to make a purifying barrier so that he couldn't get anywhere near me without being purified. I charged my hands and clenched them into fists as my power was concentrated into two points. Though I still needed some time to build a lasting barrier, but it was time I didn't have. "I can't be so unthreatening because if I was then I would already be dead, even if you toying with your prey" I said into the dark cloud that circling me like wolves circle their prey before they go in for the kill. "You either know what I am, or you want me alive" I said in response to him calling me 'little miko' and I hoped beyond hope that it was the first one.

"Kukuku, you are quite intelligent even if you fell for such an obvious trap" he said to me in a degrading manner. I narrowed my eyes at the dark mist as the last rays of light disappeared from view. "I shall obtain the jewel and the power which you hold. _That_ is the only reason you are still breathing." He said as a figure with a baboon pelt draped over his shoulders. "I suppose that I should introduce myself before your demise" the demon said with a crooked smile and glowing red eyes. If it weren't for his presence and red eyes he would have looked entirely human, which could serve as a problem later on.

"I already know who you are, Naraku. We met once before" I said through gritted teeth as I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. Everything in my body was telling me to run away, but there was nowhere to run to. I was surrounded poison and Naraku was standing in front of me waiting for me to run.

I watched as his lips turned up in a malicious smile as he stalked towards me. Creepy doesn't even describe how nasty and disgusting his presence felt as it crawled along my skin. I decided enough was enough and opened my hands. The power being held there was let loose and melded together to form a barrier all around me. A thin light blue sheen of power was all that stood between myself and Naraku.

I saw the displeased look on his face as he tested my barrier with some of the mist that surrounded us. Upon contact it disappeared into harmless air. "Well done miko. Though these barriers do not last forever" he said to me as he circled my barrier looking for any weak points that may be available. For some time there was silence as I stayed within my barrier and Naraku continued to circle it and test its strength. "It is a sad thing that I will have to settle with your power. Akihiro's would have been far better" Naraku said to me. I knew it was a trap, but I needed to know why he knew of Akihiro.

"How do you know my grandfather?" I asked as I glared at the demon beyond my barrier.

"I had intended to absorb him, but he was far too powerful. So I then decided to go after his son, but I had not known at the time that he mated a mortal" Naraku said and took a pause to look at my face. My face was slowly turning from anger and disgust to hatred. Seemingly satisfied with my expression he continued, "Had I known he mated the miko I never would have slaughtered her. I would have used her instead. I went after Akihiro and the child who carried the jewel, but I didn't find so much as a corpse left or any trace of the child. Then you came back, the child who held the jewel. I suppose after murdering your family fate still decided to smile upon me" he sneered.

At that point my mind had filled in the blanks. The reason I was sent to the future was because of him and the jewel. He murdered my family, was the reason Kikyo and Inuyasha suffered so much, the reason Miroku lost his family and hope for a future and the reason Sango is so alone. I released my barrier and drew it back into me as I stared into nothingness.

"So" Naraku said in my ear as I felt his hands clasp around my shoulders. "You have finally resigned yourself to your fate" he said to me as the poison surrounding us engulfed us entirely. I closed my eyes and decided to try something. I decided to accept all of my power and to use it.

I felt Naraku circle around me so that he was face to face with me and I felt his hand on my cheek. "I gladly accept your surrender" he said to as if he had won. I felt his hand slide down my neck and start to go underneath my shirt. At that moment my power bubbled to the surface and lashed out at the hand that was touching my skin and I heard the sizzling of flesh. "You bitch!" he yelled as he wretched his hand away from my person.

"I never said I had given in" I replied to him as I felt my power come to life and arced off of my skin in slow blue arcs. I opened my eyes to see both fear and rage swirling in his red eyes. I was sure that at this point my eyes were the same bright blue as the power surrounding me. "I may not be able to kill you, but I sure as hell can do some damage" I said as my power only seemed to build and become more deadly with each passing second. "I will avenge my family" was the last thing I said before I let my power loose in a blinding explosion of raw, untamed blue and green purity.

After the light from my power died I saw the singed trees that surrounded me and the ash laden ground, which was devoid of grass or vegetation. Unfortunately Naraku was not among those ashes. I sank to my knees from exhaustion and watched as Naraku came out from between the destroyed trees. I could see the flesh re-growing over the purified parts of his body. "To think you had that much power" he seethed as muscle bonded to bone and skin bonded to muscle. "You will be quite useful" he said as half of his face warped into a sneer.

"Go to hell" I panted as I tried to bring power to my hands once again, but this time there was nothing to be found. It was as if my body was empty of any power and I needed to recharge. The only problem with that is that I have no time to do so. I couldn't even move from my spot on the ground.

"Get the hell away from her you bastard!" I heard a familiar voice say as a large sword came between myself and Naraku. I don't think I have ever been so glad to see Inuyasha in my whole life than at that moment.

"So the dog decides to make an appearance. I wish you could have seen the look of utter pain on Kikyo's face when she thought you betrayed her" he said and I saw Inuyasha's body stiffen at the words before a dangerous growl erupted from his throat.

"Shut the fuck up you bastard" he snarled at Naraku as he brandished Tetsaiga in an attack stance and swung the sword in Naraku's direction. A wave of energy ripped through the air towards our adversary, but Naraku dodged the attack as if it was nothing.

"I can't wait to see the look on your face as I take away another girl you hold dear to you" Naraku sneered before disappeared in a large purple cloud of poison.

Even after Naraku was gone Inuyasha continued to growl in a threatening manner. I reached up and gently tugged on the sleeve of his red haori, "Inuyasha?" I questioned, not really knowing what to say.

I watched as he lowered his sword and placed it back in its scabbard, then turned around to face me. "Are you okay, Kagome?" he asked and I could see the concern in his golden eyes.

I looked into his and remembered everything that has happened in the past few days. I felt warm tears rolling down my cheeks and I realized that I genuinely didn't know if was 'okay'. "I don't know" I said as the tears dripped from eyes and rolled down my face. I then grabbed onto Inuyasha and buried my face in his clothes. I hate crying in front of people, but I couldn't stop my tears from coming.

To my surprise Inuyasha didn't push me away, but just let me cry until I couldn't cry anymore and exhaustion took its hold over me. The only thing I remember before drifting off into sleep was the smell of my tears and the smell of forest and nature emanating from Inuyasha's clothing.

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A/N: alright so I thought it was good for Kagome to show weakness sometimes. After all we all need a shoulder to cry on (no pun intended, but I thought that was better than quoting the whole song 'Lean On Me'). Also I tried to be somewhat gruesome, or rather more descriptive with the whole Naraku nearly getting purified without using the term 'she melted his face'. I still have work to do.

Next chapter we will get to see my favorite OC again. I love her so much!

Thank you for reading and please review. :)


	104. Chapter 103: The Lies We Tell

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Good news, I have the next few arcs planned out.

Bad news, it will take a while to get through them. (Though I guess that isn't really bad news) :)

Alright on with the story!

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Chapter 103: The Lies We Tell

As I traveled from shadow to shadow I thought back to what I had seen.

_As soon as the potion was sent on the wind it engulfed the evil hanyou and showed what he truly was before going in search of the girl that had been sent to the future 15 years ago. I saw that he was an amalgamation of many demons centered around a human, but what I did not want to see was the figure standing behind him smiling maliciously at me. It was Deysi who had brought Naraku into existence through the human who was idiotic enough to believe her. Though once the potion had brought the girl through the forest and close to the hanyou I noticed something moving among the trees._

_My eyes widened in shock at what I saw. It was a hell-hound that had strikingly similar features to myself in such a form, but it was an illusion created from a blood bond between the girl and the very demon that lifted the spell I had made. I could not believe my eyes because there were only two hell-hounds in existence at this moment, myself and my uncle on the other side of my barrier in the Shadow Realm._

_I had quite obviously underestimated the future in thinking that there were no demons because she had formed a blood-bond with a hell-hound that was not in existence during this time period. The more I looked at the features on the hell-hound I noticed differences from myself in the same form. There was a red tint speckling its fur and the markings were slightly different as well as a deeper red than my own._

I thought about all that had happened and realized something very important. Deysi was wrong. At that thought I smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages and left for the Shadow Realm.

Back with Kagome and Inuyasha. Inuyasha's POV:

"Inuyasha!" I heard the voice of the monk call out as he navigated through the trees in the forest until he found myself and Kagome. Kagome had fallen asleep in my arms not too long ago after her bout of crying. She had been close to crying a few times, but I had never seen her cry when she was awake. She still has yet to fully explain why she was crying in her sleep that one time.

I saw the explosion of her power and raced to that location as fast as my feet could carry me, while Miroku got Sango and Kirara. They were a little farther behind me than I had originally thought because Kagome had already passed out from exhaustion and I was carrying back to the safety of the village. I really can't leave her alone.

"Inuyasha what happened? I saw the massive explosion of power over here" Miroku said as he jumped off of Kirara's back. Sango was wearing her slayer uniform, or at least I assumed that was what it was. I had never seen it after all.

"Is Kagome alright?" Sango asked worried as she and Kirara landed close by and rushed to where I was walking.

I didn't know how to answer Sango's question, let alone Miroku's. He may be a lecher, but he was anything but unintelligent. "I don't know. I'm heading back to the old hag's" I said as I continued on my way to the village.

"Inuyasha what happened?" Miroku reiterated, refusing to drop the subject. Damn monk just doesn't know when to give up.

"We had a run in with Naraku, but the bastard ran away" I said. Just saying his name made my blood boil. Over the past few days Kagome had been asking a lot of questions about the sick bastard and about my past, or more precisely Kikyo's past. I heard her speculations one night that it was all connected somehow. She just didn't know how exactly. Now we both did. Naraku turned Kikyo and I against each other for the jewel. He wants to kill me, I could sense as much when I arrived, and take Kagome along with the jewel. My hands tightened unconsciously around Kagome's form in my arms. I wasn't going to let anyone take her. Especially not Naraku.

"What…" Sango gasped and made a move to check on Kagome, which earned her a growl from me.

"She's okay. Just exhausted" I said to her once she had backed off. Right now I didn't want anyone I didn't trust to come close to the wench. Even if Kagome now considered the slayer as a friend.

Sango let out a tight 'okay' as she decided to hold her tongue and not say anything more. She could probably feel how tense I was and she most likely knew a fair amount about demons to know how to act around one.

Miroku and Sango headed back to the village ahead of us on Kirara to go tell Kaede and the runt what had happened and that Kagome was alright. I reached the village quickly and entered the hut to find Miroku and Sango sitting next to the fire along with Kaede and the runt. I layed Kagome down on the floor as I covered her with a blanket she had in her sack. I figured they were waiting to hear what had happened, the only problem was Miroku and Sango don't know what she is. They think she is a human priestess.

"Naraku wants the jewel fragments Kagome has and wants to kill us both. He almost killed Kagome, but she managed to keep herself safe until I got there" I said. All of it was true, but I wasn't going to go into detail that she managed to fend him off because she is part of a fabled race that isn't supposed to exist. If she hadn't of used that much power then I wouldn't have known until it was too late and she would have died. Though the bastard didn't get out unscathed. When I arrived I saw that his flesh was still trying to heal itself from where it was burned with her power.

I answered as many questions as I wanted, which weren't that many, until they all went to sleep. After a while I went outside of the hut. I didn't like being around so many people in such a small place. It seemed unnatural to me.

My ears perked up to the sound of metal clinking against metal and I knew it was the damn monk. 'What the hell does he want' I thought and saw him stand next to me out of the corner of my eye.

"Lady Kagome is very powerful to be able use so much purifying energy and not die from it" Miroku said thoughtfully and I already didn't like where this was heading.

"Keh, she just has a shit ton of luck" I said as I tried to brush off what she did as an everyday occurrence.

"Her power was comparable to that of Lady Midoriko's 500 years ago. No other priestess has been able to reach her status since. Some speculate that she received assistance from Divine Demons" he said and I could see that he was gauging my reactions through the corner of his eye. The more I talked to the monk the more I disliked him.

"Keh I don't know who the 'Lady Midoriko' is and I have no idea what you are talking about. Kagome's powerful. So what?" I said trying to brush off the conversation again and failing to do so.

"Kagome is a Divine Demon, or at least hanyou. Isn't she?" he asked bluntly.

"No she isn't. Those things don't even exist, monk. Kagome is powerful because she was hiding the jewel inside her body since she was born. Or that's my theory" I said and surprisingly it made a whole hell of a lot of sense. I looked over to see Miroku's questioning face. "She brought the jewel back to this time, then shattered it and now here we are in this huge ass mess" I said gesturing with my hands to everything.

"Kagome is the one who brought the jewel to this time?" Miroku questioned even though I just told him.

"Keh. Yeah and then the stupid klutz broke the damn thing" I said gruffly, though I was relieved that he took the bait even if it was a load of crap.

"I see" he said and we stood there in silence until the monk yawned and then went back into the hut.

"I'll go see if my dear Sango needs a bed partner" he said as he entered the hut.

"Don't push your luck monk" I said under my breath and sighed in relief. The wench owes me since I save her ass, again. I smiled at the prospect at the possibility of endless ramen or no commands for a week.

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A/N: well I got nothing.

Anyways, than you for reading! :)


	105. Chapter 104: Catch Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 104: Catch Up

Inside Kagome's mind:

After I passed out from exhaustion I let myself go to my garden to look for Deysi. Though when I arrived I couldn't find Deysi anywhere, which was strange.

"She isn't here" a voice called out and I searched for the voice in my garden only to find a woman standing near the lake's shoreline.

"Who are you?" I asked defensively and she turned around at my voice.

"Ever wonder why Deysi can, seemingly, read you mind?" she asked as she walked over to a boulder and sat on top of it while facing me. She was the demon who had led me to the different paths I could have taken. "It is because of the power she holds. She can see the future" the demon said to me. And before I could speak she continued on. "Those that can see the future can change it. Always be wary of them for they are easily corrupted" she said as she walked towards me and I looked into her bright aqua eyes. When she was standing less than a meter away she smiled at me. "You are far too trusting for your own good. You naïve child" she said and placed a hand on my head to ruffle my hair.

"Hey! I don't even know who you are and…" I started but only received laughter from her in return.

"You should know me very well after all we share the same power. The only difference is that I am the one who is sealed" she said to me and I took a good look at her. Her long raven hair flowed down her back in gentle waves. Her body was toned, but didn't seem very muscular and she stood at most a half-inch taller than myself. The bright aqua color her eyes held was intimidating, yet kid as well. Her skin and face seemed to be the same as my own, yet she was a demon. I supposed this is how I would look if I was in my mid-twenties and had such brilliant eyes. Then there was her presence. I couldn't sense her presence at all as I she belonged, or was a part of me and had always been.

"You are me. My demon side?" I asked kind of freaked out that I was literally talking to myself in my mind.

"Yep" she said with a large smile crossing her face. "You should always trust your instincts and powers. Always" she said as she began to disappear from where she stood.

"Wait! Where are you going?" I asked as I tried to grab onto her hand to keep her in her place.

"The only reason I was able to come and see you is because of what happened earlier when you accepted all of who you are and everything that will come with it" she said with a kind and thankful smile crossing her face as she disappeared and left me alone in my garden.

I had a lot to think about and a lot to process. I took a deep breath and sat down on the soft grass. After my legs were crossed I placed my hands into my lap and took deep breaths in and let them out. As I calmed myself I started to think back on everything I had experienced and learned since being here.

I am a member of a feared and desired race of youkai, my father was a hanyou and my mother was a miko. I am not from the future, but from this time. My powers were sealed, but I am not sure as to why. I brought the jewel back to this time and am the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo. Kikyo and Inuyasha loved each other, but were deceived by Naraku. Inuyasha had been bound to the Goshinboku for 50 years until I unsealed him and we started this quest. I broke the jewel and because of that have sent this time into chaos.

I took another calming breath as I continued to think of the other things I have learned since being here. The much harder things to accept and see past.

Shippo's father was murdered because of his piece of the jewel and Shippo was left an orphan. Sango's entire village and family were killed by demons led by Naraku. Miroku is cursed with a wind tunnel that will eventually consume him if Naraku isn't destroyed. Inuyasha won't get any closure until he can kill Naraku himself and there is me. Naraku killed my mother, thereby killing my father. My grandfather, Akihiro, sent me through the well to be safe and live normal life. Akihiro was last seen by Inuyasha's older brother, Sesshoumaru.

I took a shaky breath in as I continued to sift through my thoughts. Each memory or piece of information only adding stress to my already stressed out mind. Then there was a memory that I tried to bury deep within my mind. The vision I had seen from a past I wasn't even alive to see. The war from 500 years ago when the jewel was made.

The jewel… something that would have to be destroyed. As much as I would like to blame everything that has happened on the small pink orb, I know that everything started long before the jewel. After the jewel was made the war came to an abrupt end and all that was left seemed to be ash floating through the air as a testament to what had transpired. There were no more haunting screams or ghost trailing through the forests, just ash and silence permeated the air.

I opened my eyes to see my beautiful garden that stretched out before me. There was still so many questions I have to ask and find answers to. I needed to know how the jewel came to be and who or what made it. I needed to know more about my race and their history. An entire race can't simply vanish without anything but stories to tell they were even there.

I didn't know who I would have to ask for these answers, but if I ever came across Sesshoumaru again I would ask as many as I could. Even if he would never answer any of them. Eventually I would find the answers I sought.

I closed my eyes once again and decided that I should wake up and assure everyone that I was alright, or as alright as I could be.

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A/N: the main point of this chapter is, as the title says, catching up on what has happened. I figured if I was having a hard time keeping everything straight in my head with what has happened so far then you all probably are as well.

Thank you for reading! :)


	106. Chapter 105: A Challenge Accepted

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 105: A Challenge Accepted

It was nearly dawn when I heard the flap of the hut open and close. I looked down and saw Kagome stretch and then look around in confusion. I figured I should ask the wench what she was looking for. "Oi" I said as I jumped down from the hut's roof. I did get the bonus of scaring the wench.

"Don't scare me like that!" she hissed as quietly as she could and hit me on the shoulder.

I just smirked at her and she narrowed her eyes at me. I was glad she was alright. "You're alright?" I asked just to be sure and squash any concerns I may have.

"Yeah. I just used up too much power and everything that had happened caught up to me" she said to me and we stood in silence as a breeze blew by.

"I did a lot of thinking…" she started as she looked into my eyes, breaking the silence. I could see in her eyes that something had happened. Her brown eyes that were always so bright and lively held a certain look that suggested she had grown wiser. It was a hardened, yet open look. "I won't leave for my time for good until the jewel is completely destroyed" she said and I could see the determination in her eyes as she said those words and I knew Kagome was one to keep her word.

"Keh. I'm gonna use the jewel to become a full demon" I said. I didn't like the way she was thinking, but at least she wasn't go to leave anytime soon

"Name one demon we have come across who wasn't beyond help from using the jewel" she said as she watched my reaction.

I simply narrowed my eyes and uttered a 'keh' before I turned away from the wench.

"Inuyasha. You and I know you are strong, but the jewel will not give you the power you seek. Of that I am certain" she said. It was kind of freaking me out at how much she was thinking about this. She seemed different, distant even at this moment.

"What is up with you wench?" I asked gruffly getting annoyed with her current disposition.

"What?" she asked as she looked at me with a slightly tilted head and her face full of confusion.

"Stop being so damn" I waved my hands around trying to find the right word. "Philosophical or some crap like that" I said and Kagome just raised her brow at me.

"Wow didn't know your vocabulary used such large words" she said and I could tell she was holding back a smile from her own amusement at my expense.

"Oi! I'm not stupid!" I yelled at her and she launched herself at me and covered my mouth with her hands. Effectively knocking me off balance and onto the ground.

"Shhhh! They are still sleeping!" she hissed at me again.

My eyes were drawn up at the slight movement from inside of the hut. To both of our dismay Miroku was standing looking at us with a lecherous smirk on his face. "Well. I now understand why you like her so much. It is nice to have the woman take charge every once in a while" he said and Kagome was off of me in under a second with a blush that could have rivaled my clothing.

"We were doing no such thing" she seethed at Miroku as she stalked up to him with red cheeks. Though I am pretty sure it was not only from embarrassment.

"Keh, I wouldn't do anything like that with the wench even if she begged me" I said to the monk with my own blush on my face. Thank kami it is night.

"As if I would do something so degrading" she said and turned her anger towards me. Not a good thing to be on Kagome's bad side. "If I wanted anything from the opposite sex I simply seduce them" she said to me. What she had said didn't sit right with me for some reason.

Out of anger I decided to continue adding fuel to this stupid argument, "Keh you couldn't seduce a guy even if you gave it your best" I yelled at her.

At that point Miroku decided to butt in and give his opinion. "I beg to differ. I find Lady Kagome to be very appealing and would love to be on the receiving end of her affect…"

"Shut up Monk"

"Shut it Miroku" we both yelled at the monk and went back to arguing.

"You want me to prove you wrong?" she asked as she grabbed my haori in her hand and pulled herself closer to me.

"Keh as if you could" I said to her with a challenge in my eyes. I saw her lips draw into a tight smile that said she accepted the challenge given.

BAM!

Startled I looked to where the noise had come from and saw the slayer standing over the monk, who was on the ground, holding her large weapon. "If any of you want to see the light of day then shut the hell up or go to sleep" she seethed then went back into the hut to go to sleep.

That day we all learned something very important. Sango was not a morning person.

I looked to Kagome who was as shocked as I was at what had just happened. When she met my gaze she glared at me; her eyes telling me this was not over.

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A/N: this was supposed to have more serious parts, but then I got the idea of Sango not being a morning person and I had to use it.

Thanks for reading! :)


	107. Chapter 106: Teamwork

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. There I said it, but the O's are mine.

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Chapter 106: Teamwork

"What exactly happened to you two this morning?" Sango questioned in a whispered voice. Ever since this morning I have been thinking of many different ways I can win this challenge. There were a few problems though. The first is that I have never seduced anyone before. The second is that I am not about to try my luck with Inuyasha or Miroku. Miroku doesn't even need any seducing; I would just have to stand in front of him. And I am not going to give Inuyasha the satisfaction. The third… where am I going to find a guy that I can seduce?

"I accepted a challenge that Inuyasha is so sure I won't win" I said as I glared daggers at Inuyasha's head. I saw his dog ears twitch in annoyance as if he knew I was giving him a death glare. I hope he was.

"What kind of challenge?" Sango asked me in an inquisitive tone. I looked at her for a second then a thought crossed my mind.

I grinned at my new friend as a plan hatched in my head.

"Stop looking at me like that… its creeping me out" Sango said as she slowly backed away from me, or rather walked away from me.

I grabbed her arm to keep her from running away from me. "He said I couldn't seduce a guy even if I tried. So I am going to seduce a guy and you are going to help me" I said with a charming smile that Sango immediately saw through. I watched as some of the color drained from her face and her eyes grew in size then narrowed at me.

"What makes you think I would help you?" she asked in retaliation.

"Because we are friends. Besides it's not like you are the one doing the seducing. I just need some help" I said honestly.

"And what exactly makes you think I can help you?" she asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I am not going to ask Miroku for help" I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sango sighed then looked at me with an amused smile crossing her face. "So long as we have fun doing it."

I laughed and gave her a hug then responded to her, "Of course!"

**A long ways to the North:**

Naraku was waiting for a portal to the shadow realm to open up in order to attain his revenge on the Hell-hound that had deceived him. To his luck he felt a shift in the wind and headed to where the portal was opened. When he arrived to the scene it was the same demon who had deceived him. He studied her for a moment before moving to gain a better vantage to attack her from. She seemed to be searching for something, but what she was searching for would make no difference to him. After all if Naraku had his way she would be dead soon.

"If you intend to kill someone, ensure that what you are looking at is not an illusion" growled a malevolent voice behind him.

Naraku watched as the demon, or what he though was the demon he was hunting, dissolved into shadows. He quickly jumped away from his vantage point and turned around to come face to face with the Hell-hound and her burning red eyes. "You betrayed me" he hissed as miasma surrounded them in a nauseous purple cloud.

"I did no such thing" the demon said as she looked at the cloud of poison surrounding her with no real interest.

"You will pay" Naraku said as his miasma enshrouded the Hell-hound and then he walked to where she was in order to absorb her. "And I will make good use of you" he said with a crooked smile and arrogant eyes.

Then from the dark poisonous cloud came the shadows. They slithered on the ground at first then gained shape and power until they had engulfed all of the miasma in shadowy flames. Then they bound Naraku to where he stood. "Do not misunderstand" the malevolent voice said once again as Naraku stared into the blood red eyes of its owner.

For once Naraku was afraid. The scene around him looked as if he was in hell itself as the black flames consumed the trees and every form of vegetation surrounding them. It smelled of sulfur and cinders as everything burned in the shadows. Even the eyes of the demon restraining him seemed to burn with dangerous fire and rage.

"You are allowed to live because you are of use" she said as she narrowed her eyes and the shadowed flames grew in magnitude. The shadows surrounding Naraku tightened until they drew blood and cracked bone; staining the white baboon cloak crimson. "As soon as I deem you unnecessary. You die" she said and then tightened the shadows even more causing bones to break and skin to tear.

Without notice she released the dark hanyou as he fell to the ground in a pool of blood. He glared at the demon with absolute hatred in his eyes. She was far too powerful for him now, maybe for anyone alive and she had shown him only a fraction of her powers. She was possibly even more powerful than Akihiro, except she hailed from the shadows. "You have no one to blame, but yourself for your own short comings. If you wish to gain what you desire, then use more intelligent means" she mocked him as she walked towards the black flames. "I may 'aide' you again. Perhaps you would be able to use it properly the next time" she said as she was engulfed by the black flames.

As soon as she had left all of the flames died and the shadows returned to their normal form. Naraku looked around himself and saw that the entire forest was untouched and there was no smell or trace of there ever being a fire or the Hell-hounds presence. She truly was a terrifying being and not one to be taken lightly.

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A/N: okay so I really love my OC. XD

So, yes she is really powerful. There is a very good reason for that. Besides this scene gave me a chance to make Naraku scared. :)

Either way thank you for reading! :)


	108. Chapter 107: On the Hunt Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 107: On the Hunt Again

"Alright so let me get this straight. Demons are dangerous to try and seduce because they could either kill you, blood bond with you or try to mate with you?" I asked Sango who nodded to me. We were still walking along a path to find some jewel shards. Unfortunately we have yet to find anymore.

"But you can only be mated under your own will, anything otherwise would be unpleasant" Sango said.

"Right" I said as I tried to not to think of that particular situation. "So what exactly is a blood bond?" I asked Sango. I hadn't heard that word before Sango told me that seducing, or rather trying to seduce, a demon or someone with demon blood was a bad idea. The more I thought about this stupid challenge the more I thought it was a bad idea. In the end someone could get hurt and I did not want that to happen.

"A blood bond is a bond between a being with demon blood and another being made by exchanging blood. It is similar to a mating bond, but it can be forced. The bond allows feelings to be transferred between the two parties as well as strengthen the weaker party" Sango replied to me as she explained what a blood bond was. It was an exchanging of blood as well as power. It also allowed a human to share the same life span with the demon they made the bond with. Though unlike a mating bond if one party dies the other stays alive and lives out their natural lifespan, but they will feel the death of their partner.

"A blood bond is a taboo amongst demons. It is viewed a form of enslavement" Inuyasha scoffed at me as he walked past us. Totally forgot he could hear really well. Oops.

"Sorry, but I am just curious. I don't know much about how youkai behave or the customs they use" I said to him an unapologetic tone. I wasn't really sorry, but I was curious about how demons were different than humans. We just aren't taught that in high school in the future.

"Keh, whatever wench" he said in that rude tone of his that never fails to get on my nerves.

"Don't worry Kagome" Shippo said as he hopped on my shoulder. "What Inuyasha said isn't entirely true. Demons use a blood bond in order to save people too, but that is a one-sided bond" Shippo said to me in an attempt to cheer me up.

"Thanks Shippo" I responded to him with a warm smile.

"Yes, but you should remember Lady Kagome, most demons would not do something like that for a human. They would be more likely to devour a human than help one" Miroku said as he passed between Sango and I, or was about to. I saw Sango stiffen out of the corner of my eye and wasn't even able to sigh before the sound of a slap rang out between us and Miroku had a red mark on his face.

"Pervert" Sango scowled at Miroku and I just had to smile at their antics.

Sango stalked past Miroku and I followed a little behind her. Shippo, being the sweet kid he was, jumped from my shoulder to comfort Sango. Just as I was about to pass Miroku he said to me, with lecherous grin in place, "I would be willing to help you in any way I can with your confusion about seducing someone of the opposite sex."

"You're not my type" I said in an unemotional tone as I ran to catch up with Sango. What I didn't see was the dejected look Miroku wore after my rejection.

"What was that about?" Sango asked me, curious as to what Miroku had said to me.

"He offered to help me and I said that I have it covered" I responded with a shrug of my shoulders. I looked a head of to see Inuyasha walking with his hands in his sleeves and ears twitching in annoyance. I could only imagine what made him even more annoyed than before.

Inuyasha decided to answer my unspoken question with one of his own, "Oi, wench. Sense any jewel shards?"

"Nope" I responded curtly, which did _wonders_ to improve his mood.

He narrowed his golden eyes at me in annoyance before speaking again, "Then shut up and focus, stupid" he replied to me out of anger and annoyance.

I was just about to 'osuwari' him into the ground when I felt a tingling sensation I grew to know very well. As I focused on the sensation it grew stronger and I was able to pin point the direction it was coming from. If I wasn't mistaken they were somewhere to the North and there were a lot of them. "Inuyasha, I sense a fragment of the jewel" I said as I opened my eyes and looked in the direction they were.

"Where!" he said as he was by my side in a matter of seconds. It was ironically dog-like. Like saying 'bacon' or 'treat' and the dog would be standing right next to you waiting with baited breath for what was going to come next.

"It's that way dog-boy" I said with a smirk on my face while jabbing my thumb in the general direction where the jewel's presence was emanating from.

Inuyasha scowled at me due to the face I was making, "What are you thinking about, wench?"

"Nothing. Let's go get that jewel shard. If I am not mistaken then there are a lot of them in one place" I said finally getting down to business and telling everyone what I found out.

"Is it Naraku?" Inuyasha said and I could see the anger and excitement swirling in his eyes. He wanted to kill Naraku, not that I could blame him, but the fact that he seemed excited by the idea was slightly disturbing.

"I don't know, but it could be" I replied as I continued to walk up the road.

"Then we would do well to proceed with caution" Miroku muttered to himself loud enough for all of us to hear. I have a feeling that Miroku is entirely correct and we should be careful, but the probability of us doing just that is close to nil.

"I agree with Miroku. Kirara" Sango said and at her behest Kirara jumped from her shoulder and changed into her larger form via a large ball of fire. Sango hopped onto her back and Miroku joined her. How those two are able to ride together without Miroku dying is beyond me.

"Shippo you go with them" I said to him as he was about to jump onto my shoulder.

"But Kagome!" he whined to me and I smiled warmly at him before I decided to reply.

"Shippo I need you to be safe. I know you will be fine, but if you fight with Inuyasha and I, then you could get hurt. You know Inuyasha and I don't have a very good record for coming out of a battle unscathed. Though Miroku and Sango look perfectly fine" I said. Though I knew Naraku would probably be targeting myself and Inuyasha more than Miroku and Sango. If my assumption was correct it would mean that he would be far safer with them than Inuyasha and I.

"Alright, quit your yapping and get on" Inuyasha said to me as he bent down before me.

"I can run you know" I said as I tightened the straps to my back pack and got ready for a long run.

"Don't be stupid wench and get on. You're _human_ remember" he said placing extra emphasis on the word 'human'. Right. Miroku and Sango don't know about what I really am. Being able to keep up with a hanyou wouldn't exactly look right.

"Fine" I pouted and climbed onto his back. "The jewel shard is that way" I said as I pointed to where the sensation was coming from. Soon we would find out if this had anything to do with Naraku or not. Either way we were still hunting the jewel.

* * *

A/N: well it has been some time since my last update. So sad that my time in Colorado is over (for now). I had spent the last 4 moths there and enjoyed every moment of it, besides the twisting my knee part.

The nagging grammar lady inside of me caught the 'your' (supposed to be you're) at the end of this chapter as I started writing the next one. So I fixed it.

Well, as always, thank you for reading! :)


	109. Chapter 108: Ensnared

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I probably never will. Hence why I am writing this story :)

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Chapter 108: Ensnared

The fragment we were looking for was farther away than I had expected it to be, but lucky for us it hadn't moved much. Then again, if this was a trap we weren't so lucky; periodically Inuyasha would ask, more like demand, if we were really going the right way. I would then assure him that we were in fact heading to where the jewel was. I heard him draw in another breath, probably to ask the same question he has been asking for the past hour. "You ask if we are getting closer or going the right way again I will yank your ears off" I threatened him and watched as his ears plastered themselves to his head.

"Don't even threaten about that!" he yelled at me and kept his ears pinned to his head and I just rolled my eyes at his response.

As if I would do that, they are one of his best features… I am not thinking about Inuyasha in that way. I'm just going to stop myself there and stay in denial… there is nothing to deny! Is he attractive? Yes. Am I attracted to him? I'm not going to answer that question…

"Kagome how close are we to the jewel?" Sango asked me this time and brought me out of my mental fight with myself. I wanted to throw something at her for the question she asked. I now know why parents are so annoyed when their kids ask the question 'are we there yet?' every other minute.

"We are getting close" I said and looked over Inuyasha's shoulder as he launched us up in the air again. I got a good grasp of our surroundings; we were still in a forest, but up ahead of us was a gorge. Unfortunately the jewel's presence was coming from that gorge. Definitely a trap. No doubt in my mind this time. "I think it is in that gorge, but it is probably a trap as well" I replied and Sango nodded her agreement.

"It would be wise for us to stop and ready a plan of attack" Miroku informed us and pointed out a bare spot near the edge of the gorge where we could talk about what to do next.

"Inuyasha we are stopping there" I said, pointing to where Miroku and Sango were headed.

"Wench, if the jewel is down there" he said as he gestured to the gorge that we were approaching fast. "Then that is where we are going."

"I will not hesitate to sit you" I said and heard him scoff.

"You'll go down with me, wench" he smirked, well I can't really see his face at the moment so I am just assuming.

"Has that stopped me before?" I said in a knowing tone as I reminded him of the times where that theory didn't work. Though I really didn't want to prove him wrong again.

"Keh" was the only response that I received from Inuyasha. I rolled my eyes as he headed to where Miroku and Sango had decided we should stop. We were slightly ahead of them so we arrived at the edge of the gorge first. I soon learned that this was the beginning of a trap and we walked straight into it.

I hopped off of Inuyasha's back and as soon as I set foot on the ground I heard Shippo shout and the loud thundering of the earth moving. Before I could comprehend what was happening Inuyasha and I were already falling into the darkness of the gorge with the rocks and boulders that had formed the earth we once stood on.

"Kagome!" I heard Inuyasha yell as I saw him jumping from falling rock to falling rock. I looked up and realized I should have gone skydiving at least once before this whole thing happened. Maybe then I could have done something besides stare at the disappearing sky wondering if I would survive the fall. As Inuyasha got closer to me I reached out my arms to try and get to safety because if I knew anything in this messed up time it was that Inuyasha would keep me safe.

Unfortunately in the couple of seconds we fell Inuyasha was attacked by something big and thrown into the other side of the gorge and I was yanked from the air so fast I lost my breath. I clenched my eyes shut from the sheer force I was being dragged through the air and by the time my body registered it was on solid ground again I was entwined by whatever had taken me from the air I was falling through. I opened my eyes and all I saw was darkness; that was until my eyes adjusted to wherever I was. As soon as I could see I wish that I couldn't, because I was surrounded by constantly moving and shifting vines. Large and small vines climbing and scraping against the walls of the gorge only to meet at the top to block the sun.

Things did not look good. Not good at all. Inuyasha and I were separated from Sango, Miroku and Shippo. Inuyasha and I were separated from each other and probably trapped in this gorge by whatever had formed these vines. I can sense the jewel and it is freakishly close to where I am, which is not comforting. "Show yourself!" I yelled to the mass of vines surrounding me.

"Kukuku, cheeky as always" said a maniacal voice. I knew that creepy voice anywhere. I watched as Naraku emerged from the darkness and felt the vines tighten and scrape against my skin. I felt the vines cut me in multiple places as they twisted and tightened against me.

"What the hell is it now?" I asked indignantly in a voice filled with disgust and venom.

"Well I had thought you were slightly more intelligent than that" he chuckled and the sound made my blood curdle. I glared at him and called my power to the surface in order to fight off what was holding me and fight Naraku. Though to my horror I couldn't muster any power. I was helpless.

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A/N: I know this is a cliff hanger and I will update either today or tomorrow so don't worry.

Anyways, thank you for reading! :)


	110. Chapter 109: Vengence

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Sorry Natsu, I forgot to answer your question. Yes, I do like fried chicken. :)

Alright I have a few scene changes in this chapter, hence the lines within the chapter.

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Chapter 109: Vengeful

Seeing the confusion and horror on my face Naraku came closer and grabbed my chin to make me look him in the eyes. "Yes, my dear Miko, you are powerless. I did find such a wonderful demon to assist me in achieving my goals" he sneered. "The poison that has entered your bloodstream will not kill you, but will leave you helpless."

As Naraku said this the vines that had been surrounding me slithered away and I fell limply to the ground. I was paralyzed, I couldn't use my powers and no one was here to save me. I tried to speak, but only broken words passed through my lips. "She is a fighter" said a voice I didn't recognize. "To think the poison wouldn't work is impressive."

I looked to where the voice was coming from and saw a figure, not entirely sure if it was male or female, standing next to Naraku with a smug expression placed on their face. "Though it appears that the paralytic was successful in paralyzing her and rendering her powers useless."

'Srew you!' I thought loudly, because I wasn't able to scream at the both of them. Instead of trying in vain to speak I decided to glare fiercely at the two of them.

"She is somewhat cute how she thinks she is intimidating" the demon, who looked like an amalgamation of many different plants formed into a humanoid shape, said in a creepily interested tone. If I was able to use my powers I would have fried 'em.

"Keep your end of the bargain. When you bring me the half-breeds head I will give you the jewel" Naraku interrupted as he bent down in front of me and ripped the bottle that held the jewel shards from my neck. "Now. I will take _this_" Naraku said as he leered at me and took my chin in his hand, which I had just enough range of motion to bite. "Damn bitch!" he cursed and dropped my head back down onto the ground. Being paralyzed does not stop pain.

"I would be pleased to make her sleep if you wanted?" the plant-demon-thing asked Naraku. This situation is really, really bad. Naraku's entire reason for this trap was to kill Inuyasha and take me somewhere to a fate worse than death. The fact that this demon who is working for Naraku is able to use these poisons on me means that Inuyasha is in serious trouble. Not to mention this demon seems just as deranged as Naraku and would probably torture Inuyasha to death.

While I was preoccupied with trying to find a silver lining in this whole situation I failed to register the demon that had paralyzed me getting closer, until he grabbed my chin tightly and brought my face to theirs. As soon as our lips touched they shoved their tongue down my throat. I can now say that I know what dirt tastes like; it is not a pleasant taste. As soon as they had dropped my head back to the ground my vision began to grow blurry, until I descended into unconsciousness.

"It is too bad I didn't know about this tasty morsel sooner. If I had she wouldn't have lived this long" the demon said to Naraku as it watched him pick up Kagome's limp body from the ground.

"You have had your fill of these demons. I doubt you would need another" Naraku sneered at the demon beside him. He had promised the jewel to this demon so long as he could have Kagome and Inuyasha's head. Though the demon would never receive the jewel; he was simply a means to an end.

"If you dare to double cross me I will kill you as I have many before" the plant-like demon grinned lightly, but its eyes were full of promise and deadly intent.

"Of course. Though I have no need to do something so drastic" Naraku lied as he started to walk away from the demon he had made the deal with. Once Naraku was out of sight from the demon it went in search of a hanyou to 'play' with.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again all I could see was a heavy fog that enveloped everything around me and made it hard to breathe. I tried to look around, but I couldn't make anything out in the dense fog. Then I heard the rattling of metal against metal in the distance; I strained to see who was coming towards me, but I wasn't able to.

"Well, I never would have thought I would have come out so soon" said a voice from within the fog. The only thing I could see of them at first were their eyes. They were a glowing aqua surrounded by black nothingness. I tried to get up to run, but I was still paralyzed from that demon. I was helpless in front of this demon, not to mention I have no idea where Naraku is. "Nor the fact that we would meet at all" the demon said as she came into full view. Her hair fell in long black waves down her back and her claws were like razors that extended from her hands. The only problem was that, besides the demonic features, she looked exactly like me.

"Surprise… I'm you." She said and flashed her fangs in a dangerous grin. As she knelt down beside me I noticed her hands and feet were chained.

"What are you" I managed to rasp out and her strange eyes focused on my own.

"I am all the dark thoughts and dangerous feelings you have. Though I am more powerful than you ever could be, so if you need power… feel free to release me" she sneered at me and I could feel the darkness and blood thirst she held. It was the same feeling I felt when that dream demon showed me the past. She is my thirst for revenge. "To think that demon had consumed so many Divine demons and Shadow Walkers. It is a no wonder they were able to subdue you and your demon" she thought out loud with a pleased smile creasing her lips.

"Now… I have a score to settle" she said as she vanished into the fog and I was returned to being alone in my own mind. I drifted into the darkness of unconsciousness as I felt her take over my body.

* * *

Naraku glanced once again to the miko he was carrying under his arm and back to the jewel in his hand. He had combined her shards with the part of the jewel he had collected and was pleased with how much it had grown from the addition. Soon he would grow in power from consuming the miko he carried. When he did he would be immune from any and all attacks from purifying powers. He would be nearly invincible and could take anything he pleased.

Without warning a blast of purifying energy surged from Kagome's body and separated Naraku from her person as they were flying through the air above the trees. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the one who murdered my parents" said a dark malicious voice from inside of Kagome. When Naraku looked at her in the eyes they were no longer those that Kagome had. They were blood thirsty and deadly eyes the color of a distant sea, surrounded by a never ending darkness. The area around Kagome's eyes were being marred by thin black markings, like veins being pushed to the surface of the skin.

"Kukuku, so you are able to move after all" Naraku sneered.

'Kagome' smiled at him in anticipation and released enough power for it to be clearly visible around her person. It slowly arced off of her skin in a continuous flux. 'Kagome' raised her hand just as Naraku sent a ball of miasma flying towards her. All the power that had surrounded 'Kagome' flew to the palm of her hand and compressed into a tiny ball of blue-green light. As soon as the miasma was a few meters away 'Kagome' let loose the compression of her power towards Naraku.

In a brilliant flash of light the ball of miasma was disintegrated and Naraku was nearly killed. Once it landed it blew a crater into the side of a distant mountain. When Naraku looked back to where the miko was suspended in the air there was no one. Kagome was nowhere to be seen.

Enraged by the fact he had lost the miko he started back to where the demon was supposed to have killed Inuyasha, but when he arrived there was nothing left of the demon, but ash and Inuyasha standing with his sword brandished. The demon was defeated by the half-breed because he had his sword and he lost the miko because he had underestimated her again. His plans were thwarted each time because he didn't know everything he needed to know. Deciding to at least put the jewel to use he retreated to formulate anther plan of attack.

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A/N: putting things in motion for the next few arcs. Yes, I actually planned the next several chapters out. I will be introducing a few minor characters in the next few arcs.

As always thanks for reading! :)


	111. Chapter 109: extra chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuaysha.

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I never thought that I would have the chance to come out and play before _she_ had crumbled and fallen so far that I was the only option left to _her_.

I never thought I could look _her_ in the eyes and watch as fear gripped _her_ soul once I told who I am. I am vengeance and every dark and evil thought _she _ever had and ever will. Dark hopes and dark dreams combined into a restless existence sealed within _her_ own mind.

After all the more pure one thinks they are, the more corrupt they become. Too bad _she _isn't giving me much to live off of.

Though, today I found valuable information. Even though I was shackled, I could break out and have my revenge.

Which meant that it wouldn't be hard to break the shackles that bound me once the time came.

As I gained control over _her_ body I came face to face with one of the things I needed to destroy. It sent a thrilling rush through my system at the fact I could kill someone and feel their blood run from my fingers. I felt my power come to surface as I called it to do my bidding. It felt... incredible to have the ability to end a life in the palm of my hand.

Then I released it and sent it flying to the one who had murdered my family. As soon as it left my hand my shackles pulled me back into the darkness of my dungeon and closed the door that kept me from meddling with the rest of _her_ mind. I am now stuck and chained to this confined and dark prison. The only way out is for _her _to break.

Oh... I can't wait for that day.

When it comes I will be in control...

And I will kill everyone and destroy everything that has ever or ever will threaten my existence.

One day... I will be free...

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A/N: Incredibly short extra chapter. This was Kagome's dark side, or vengeful side, and what she thought and felt. Note that she is not a great nor good person.

Thank you for reading. :)


	112. Chapter 110: A Blind Swing

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 110: A Blind Swing

When I opened my eyes a pain shot through my body and head. Whatever the hell had hit me, did a damn good job. I looked around and expected to see the walls of the gorge I had fallen into, but I was somehow in a forest.

"Inuyasha" I heard a familiar and gentle voice call to me. I spun around to see who it was and was shocked by who I saw. "What is wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" the woman asked me.

I was glued to where I stood. I hadn't seen her for fifty years, "Kikyo?" I breathed out. "You died…"

Kikyo looked at me with slight worry in her eyes then spoke again. "It must have been a horrible dream, but I can assure you I am alive" she said as she walked up to me and extended her hand out to me. I reached out and held it in my own clawed hand. To my surprise it was warm and soft. Her hand that I held in mine felt the same as I remembered it, was what I had lived thus far really a dream? Did any of it really happen?

"I am going to go and collect some herbs, you are welcome to come along" she said as she headed off into the forest. There was something off, something missing out of all of this. Something wasn't right, but I can't figure out what it is.

"Kikyo, what about everyone else?" I asked, but even as I asked the question I couldn't picture their names or faces. Everything was fading away like a soon to be forgotten dream.

"Who?" she asked as she bent down to pick some herbs close to where she was.

"You know…" I was trying to remember their names, but I couldn't remember a single one. Every time I thought about what their names were there was an almost painful feeling coming from my head. I looked back at Kikyo and she reminded me of someone from my dream, except her personality. The person who I was trying to remember had a fire to her and always did things that were unsuspected. She was different, yet similar to myself. She was a friend, maybe even more than that. She is important. She…

"Inuyasha?" Kikyo asked in a worried tone as she cupped my cheek. "It seemed as if I would lose you. I don't want to lose you" she said and gazed into my eyes. I watched as her face grew closer to mine and I in turn gazed into her chocolate brown eyes. Those eyes were the same as hers. That is why I mistook her for Kikyo when I first met her. Kikyo's held a frail coldness to them, where as hers held a fiery strength as if she could never be broken. I admired those eyes and wanted to protect them.

_"I'll protect you Kagome"_

It echoed in my mind as memories came flooding back to me. I had forgotten the one I promised to protect, Kagome. Kikyo was dead and had been for a long time. I looked at Kikyo, or who I thought was Kikyo and wretched her back by her shoulders. "Inu…" she started, but I interrupted whatever she was going to say.

"Who the hell are you and where the hell is Kagome?!" I yelled at the Kikyo look alike in front of me.

I watched as Kikyo, or what was pretending to be her, wasted away into a mass of vines and fell to the ground. Behind me I heard the sound of someone clapping. "Well, well, well. I never would have expected you to realize so soon. I was so hoping to gain some more entertainment from you chasing a fantasy" the voice said from the same direction of the clapping. I turned around to see a demon that had trapped me here.

It was an amalgamation of vines that twisted and grew into a humanoid form. I felt my teeth clenching at the sight of it. It was definitely what had shown me what I saw and made me forget Kagome and everyone else. I reached for my sword and pulled it from its sheath as I took an offensive stance against this demon. "I'll ask you one more time, you bastard. Where's Kagome?!" I growled at him.

"Now _that_ I did not see coming… You love her enough to abandon your old lover" the demon said. "I wonder, what would you do if you knew what was in store for that little divine demon?" the demon asked me with a smirk on its face.

"Keh, I don't give a damn about what you think. I'm gonna kill you anyway" I growled and launched myself at the demon in front of me with all of my strength. The bastard dodged out of the way and then sent one of its many vines to fling me into the wall of the gorge. I swung my sword in just enough time to ward off an attack from giant thorns hurled at me.

"What is being done to her is far worse than anything I could do to you" it said as more thorns flew my way. With every word the damn demon uttered I felt my blood begin to boil. I didn't know where Kagome was and this demon somehow knew about myself and Kikyo.

Just then realization of who knew about my past with Kikyo flashed through my mind. In my hesitation some of the thorns hit their mark and slashed at my arms and legs. I glared at the demon in front of me, who continued to smirk at my struggles. "You bastard. You are working for Naraku" I growled.

"Well, I would say that I am simply fulfilling a bargain for him. Though with the poison now in your system you won't last very long" The demon said and I could feel my legs beginning to numb. My heart started to beat faster and my breath came quicker. "I suppose I could tell you what had transpired" it said with a malevolent grin. "I traded her and your head in exchange for the jewel. The girl is probably already absorbed by the demon you call Naraku. Pity, really. She looked delicious, especially when she was struggling" the demon leered at what he had said. Enjoying whatever fantasy was concocted in its mind.

Without warning I launched myself at the demon and cut it down the middle with my tetsaiga. I leapt back and expected to see the demon die, but it reformed with the multitude of vines that were surrounding it. "Now that was an unwelcome move" it said with a displeased frown.

"Keh, you brought it on yourself. Bastard" I scowled at the demon. Then I saw from around me a multitude of flowers blooming. When they all opened up a burst of green mist clouded around me and burned everything it touched. I could feel my eyes burning and soon I couldn't see anything. I couldn't see and every breath I took felt like breathing in flames. The poison from earlier was working its way through my body and my legs were beginning to weaken. My body was getting hot with fever and my heart felt as if it would burst.

"Let's see how well you are able to fight now" I heard the demon, but I couldn't pinpoint where he was due to my sense of smell failing me. All I had left were my ears and with those all I could do was avoid his attacks. I could hear him chuckling from different points around me, obviously toying with me. Though besides the demon I heard wind; it sounded like the wind was scraping against itself violently. I felt tetsaiga pulse as the sound of the wind scraping filled my ears. I decided to take a gamble and trust the sword that I held in my hands. Once I pinpointed where the wind was scraping against itself I put as much power into the blade as I could; then I cut through the wind.

I heard the wind being cut through and the power that came from my blade ripping through the ground. The demon who had attacked me shrieked before it made no other sounds. After everything had quieted down I felt the sun on my skin and a gentle breeze blow through the gorge.

After losing all the strength in my limbs from the poison I fell to the ground. The last thing I heard was Shippo shouting in the distance.

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A/N: I watched Jurassic Park last night... did you know it was released in 1993... That's older than I am...

Anyways, thanks for reading! :)

Oh, and I you would all be so kind as to vote on the poll I have on my profile page, that would be awesome.


	113. Chapter 111: Found

Disclaimer: Nope... I still don't own Inuyasha...

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Chapter 111: Found

The first thing I noticed was the heat that was encompassing only one side of my body. For some reason everything hurts and I can't move very well, which is really weird. Even when I was attacked back when I was younger, I never felt so weak. After I lost consciousness from the poison that plant-demon-thing stuck me with I can't remember what happened at all. Let alone how I am now laying in front of a fire with no youkai anywhere near here.

"Ah, you're awake" a male voice called out from beyond the fire. I heard the sound of dry wood being dropped on the ground. As I managed to sit up I saw that the person before me wasn't anyone I knew. Judging by his appearance, he was a monk or priest. "I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Muso, may I ask what yours is?" he asked me politely with a gentle smile.

I had to keep myself from blushing due to the way he was speaking to me, "My name is Kagome. Do you happen to be a monk?" I asked him. It's a long shot, but he might know Miroku.

"Yes, I am. May ask as to what you are?" he asked me with suspicion lacing his voice. Not that I could blame him…

"Um… I'm a miko. I was separated from the group I was traveling with" I said. Now that I thought about it I have no idea where I am or where everyone else is, let alone if they are alright.

"Unfortunately I haven't seen anyone, or a group of people. May I ask as to whom you were traveling with?" the monk named Muso asked me in the same polite manner as before.

Sometimes I hate being so honest with people around me, but he doesn't seem or feel like a bad guy. In fact he seems like the obnoxiously polite and gentle kind of person who can't seem to take sarcasm. I would know, I met someone like that in my time. He was really sweet and kind and scared to death of Jak, Kara and Tora. Poor guy never even got the chance to ask me out. Though back to the matter at hand telling him who I am traveling with and what we are searching for might not be a great idea considering he is a monk. "I was traveling with five companions. Miroku, a monk, Sango who is a demon slayer, Kirara, Shippo and Inuyasha" I said as I omitted the titles, or rather bloodlines, of my non-human friends.

Muso looked at me with a slightly worried expression when I finished listing the names. Maybe he knew Miroku and his tendencies. "Are any of them demons, especially this Inuyasha fellow" he asked me from across the fire as he put in more wood to fuel the flames. Nope, he doesn't know Miroku.

"Um," I started, but decided that telling the truth was probably the best route. He did take care of me after all. "Yeah, he is. He is a half demon and Shippo and Kirara are full blooded demons" I said truthfully to him.

"I have one other question, Lady Kagome, Are you running from any of these demons?" he asked and I looked up in surprise at his accusation, then I looked down at myself and I could see what he meant. My arm must be broken judging from the pain and splint I have and the rest of my skin was covered in various bruises and small cuts. To make matters worse I have no idea how I managed to get them.

"No, at least not any of them. There is this demon who…" I stopped myself considering going on a rant how Naraku has been trying to kill all of us and we just recently walked into a trap is not a wise decision at this point. "Who attacked me, but I don't remember it really well. How did you find me and how long have I been unconscious?" I asked him finally realizing that it could have been a long time since I split up with our group and if it has then when I get back Inuyasha isn't going to let me leave anytime soon. Maybe I shouldn't meet back up with them…

"I found you floating down the river, I am truly surprised that you did not drown. Your clothes were torn, but I could tell that they were not familiar to this area. I had assumed that you may have been a demon at the time, but considering your wounds that assumption held no ground. As for how long I have been caring for you, Lady Kagome, it will soon be the end of the second day" he said calmly, while I was slowly dying on the inside. Two day meant that Inuyasha was definitely not going to let up on the protectiveness anytime soon. "Is there something the matter, Lady Kagome?" Muso asked me and I simply shook my head and smiled at him before responding.

"Not really. Just my friend Inuyasha will be even more protective and overbearing than before" I said as I looked into the glowing fire.

"If he worries so much about you then he must care for you a great deal" Muso said bluntly and out of nowhere.

I felt myself blush at what he was saying. "What?" I asked to make sure I heard him correctly. I knew Inuyasha cared for me as a friend, I hoped at least, but I feel like he is insinuating something more.

"Lady Kagome, you said yourself he is a hanyou. He is half human and half demon, which means that if he takes the time to care for someone, then they are indeed special. I have never met a half demon, but I would imagine they would never be accepted by humans or demons. The fact that he has accepted you and you have done the same could be very important" Muso said as he placed vegetables on sticks to roast over the fire.

His words made sense and made me realize that I don't know very much about Inuyasha's past or how painful it was. I just knew he was alone until he met Kikyo and then Naraku had intervened. Ever since he was betrayed by the woman he loved he was alone and stuck to a tree until the day I woke him up from his slumber. It took a while for Inuyasha to trust me and then he promised he would protect me. Even if Inuyasha doesn't feel the same way… I think he is a great person with a big heart.

"You seem to care for him as well judging by your expression… Has the hanyou stolen your heart?" Muso asked with curiosity and his blunt way of putting things. I take back what I thought earlier, he is just a polite and brutally honest person. I don't know how to deal with this monk…

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A/N: And now we are back with Kagome. Sorry about the short chapter.

A little bit about me, I finally got a (part-time) job (after returning back home I need to get one) and have enrolled in classes for the fall semester! I can't wait for school to start! :)

As always thank you for reading! :)


	114. Chapter 112: History Lesson

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 112: History Lesson

I blushed at what he was saying and I could see the amusement at my reaction in his eyes. "No. We are just friends" I said in a not very convincing way. Why? I have no damn clue, maybe I hit my head when I was floating down river. I probably did.

"A word to the wise, don't get involved in such a manner with a youkai or hanyou. Humans like us and them aren't supposed to mix. Isn't that why you are a miko, to exterminate the demons in this world?" Muso asked me and I stared at him in disbelief and borderline rage.

"I apologize, I seem to have overstepped my bounds" he said with a reassuring smile that even looked fake.

I took a moment to calm myself before speaking to him again. "Why do you assume I have become a miko to kill youkai?" I asked him, still not believing that this monk I just met was so prejudiced.

"Because, every spiritualist I have met thus far has thought the same way. They see youkai as a plague or pest and are determined to exterminate them. Some simply exterminate the ones who are creating havoc, while others will kill any they come across" he said as he handed me a skewer with cooked vegetables on it for me to eat.

"Which one are you?" I asked cautiously as I blew on the steaming vegetables.

"Neither. I simply defend myself when necessary. I am far more interested in a certain kind of youkai than I am exterminating others" he said and I looked at him quizzically. "Have you heard of Divine Demons?" he asked me and it took everything to keep myself from spitting out my food.

"Yes, a little bit" I said, in reality I didn't know very much about the race my father and grandfather belonged to.

"Good, then I will not sound deranged when I talk of them. I am interested in them because it is said that with their help they can amplify a spiritualist's power. Though I have yet to find one, there have been rumors of powerful spiritualists being aided by these youkai" he said as he took a cooked vegetable from the skewer and popped in his mouth.

"Really?" I asked him. I had never heard of anything like this before.

"Indeed, mikos, like yourself, have been said to be aided by these youkai because they possess such strong purification powers. The miko, Lady Midoriko, was said to have been aided and even fallen for one of these youkai" he said as he gazed into the fire with a calm look of knowledge upon his face. "In fact, her amplification of abilities is what allowed her to create the Shikon no Tama. At least that is my theory."

At that statement I almost choked on the vegetable I was eating. We had been trying to destroy the jewel, but I never thought of where it could have come from. That aside, the name Midoriko was familiar to me. In fact it was the name of the priestess in the story my father used to tell me and the demon she met was named Akihiro, whom I suspect is my grandfather. Which would make Midoriko my grandmother, or at least a lover to my grandfather. If she was my grandmother and she created the jewel, then there is much more to this connection than I thought.

"Are you alright? You look pale" Muso said and started to get up to help me, but I waved him off and said I was fine between coughs.

"Thank you. I'm fine now" I said and smiled reassuringly. The pain in my arm hadn't subsided after I tried to use it to clutch my sides as I was coughing. At this point I knew it was broken, nothing was healing as fast as it had before. "Can you tell me more about this Lady Midoriko?" I asked him in curiosity.

"Of course, Lady Kagome. From the research I have completed she lived around five hundred years ago and disappeared at the same time the jewel was made. I don't know much more besides the fact that the village of the demon slayers was built around her last known location, where it is thought the jewel came into existence" Muso said and I could see the truth in his eyes. He didn't know much about Midoriko, after all he was far more interested in the Divine Demons. Though the information he gave me can lead me to more answers; all I would have to do is ask Sango and go to her village. Then comes the question of if she even wants to go back to her village.

"Is there anything else you wanted me to tell you about?" he asked me in his polite and kind manner. If only Inuyasha could be as polite as Muso, but then he wouldn't be Inuyasha. No, he would be kind of creepy actually…

"Um, if you could tell me more about these Divine Demons? They sound interesting" I asked him with sincerity.

"Alright, then I will start from the beginning of what I know…" Muso began giving me a lecture of everything he knew about the Divine Demons. He told me how it is believed they were once celestial beings that were cast out of the heavens for defying the orders of those above them. Due to their heritage their powers were that of purification and that they taught humans how to defend themselves against demons by using this power. There were two factions; the Divine Demons, who held powers derived from light, and Shadow Walkers, who held powers derived from the darkness. Both groups of youkai were feared and respected until around 500 years ago. At that time the youkai who were from each faction were engaged in a war that erased them from existence. Since that time there have only been rumors of Divine Demons or Shadow Walkers, but no truth to these rumors. After they all were exterminated not a single one of them has ever been found.

"It is late, Lady Kagome. We should retire for the night and set out early in the morning" Muso said as he got up and put sutras around our camp to ward off youkai.

"Thank you" I said with a grateful smile. He saved me from the river and treated my wounds. For that I am truly grateful.

He looked up from what he was doing and smiled back at me, "You are welcome, Lady Kagome. Use this to keep warm tonight. You may have clothes, but they are not in their original condition" he said and then threw a few more logs onto the fire to keep us warm throughout the night.

After he said that it was then that I decided to look at my clothes, or what was left of them. My t-shirt had many small tears in it and my pants weren't in any better condition. Not only that, but I had bandages underneath my clothing. At that point I realized that Muso was the only possible person who could have dressed my wounds and then redressed me.

Instead of showing my face, that was probably glowing brighter than the fire, to Muso I uttered a quick 'goodnight' and then curled up in the clothe he handed me to sleep with. That is if could even get to sleep.

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A/N: I can't believe this story has over 150 reviews so far. It makes me feel all fluffy.

Yes I just used that to describe my feelings after writing this much. Yes, that is the word I used.

Anyways, thank you for all of the support thus far (don't even think this is close to being done) and thank you for reading!


	115. Chapter 113: Realization

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 113: Realization

"Inuyasha, calm yourself! You just got over the poison!" Miroku called after me. The damn poison that bastard of a demon gave me didn't get out of my system until a day later and even then I couldn't move well. It is the end of the second day after I lost Kagome and we still haven't found any leads. Her scent is long gone by now, but I managed to find where it ended before it disappeared earlier today. Then there was the fact that a mountain was missing part of its side. Miroku and Sango went to check it out, but it had no energy from Naraku, in fact Miroku said the residual energy was pure. That fact kept me thinking that Kagome was still alive and somewhere in this area. She has to be, because if she wasn't then I will eviscerate Naraku and watch his horrified face as blood drips from my claws and I pull out his entrails.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku hollered once more and wacked me over the head with his staff to get my attention.

I growled dangerously at him, telling him to back off. I wasn't going to rest until I found her. "You weak humans can stay behind if you want, but I am going to find Kagome!" I shouted over my shoulder as I leapt into the trees and continued forward. With every breath I scented the air around me searching for any traces of Kagome from anything surrounding me. I ended up at the mountain that was partially destroyed. The ground beneath my feet was unstable, but I could feel the lingering power that had blasted this area. It was a grim reminder that her power was unlike anyone else's. With every step I felt the telltale tingle of purification energy rise up from the soles of my feet. Kagome was definitely the one who did this, there is no doubt in my mind.

I looked up to see the last rays of light making the landscape below me glow a bright orange. Through the waning light I looked back to the last place I found Kagome's scent and then followed a path that was likely for them to have taken until it lined up with the part of the mountain that was reduced to rubble. I ran to the place I had thought could lead me to where Kagome is. Judging by how much damage that was done and the direction the blast had come from, then Kagome could be somewhere close to that spot.

Just as I was about to head off in another direction to search for her I hit a barrier. 'I'm going to kill that DAMN MONK!' I screamed in my head as my body was electrocuted and thrown back down to the ground.

"Just rest for tonight Inuyasha" Miroku said while attempting to stay calm, but Inuyasha had been trying his patience for the past two days.

"The hell I will!" I yelled at him and this time Sango's weapon came so close to my face that I could feel the wind move my bangs as it went past.

"Enough! Take care of the kit, rest and stay here for the night or when we find Kagome you will be in pieces! Got it?" Sango said, enraged at the hanyou for not listening to them. They were part of a group now, no matter how weird or dysfunctional said group is.

"Sango's right!" Shippo chimed in and earned a nasty glare from me. Shippo shut up after that and shrank closer to Sango.

"Why the hell should I wait?!" I shouted at them, as if they have a right to tell me what to do!

"Listen. When we find Lady Kagome, and we will find her, I would prefer you not to be killed" Miroku said as he tried to hit me on the head again with his staff. "Don't start talking about Naraku. He doesn't have her, because if he did then you wouldn't still be alive" Miroku reasoned, or rather tried to reason with me as he attempted to pin me down and place seals on me to keep me from moving.

"Miroku is right" Sango said with her arms crossed in front of her as she looked at Miroku's attempts to keep me in one place. "He seems to be targeting you and Kagome. The odds that Kagome is alive are fairly good, though Naraku probably has the jewel. We need to find Kagome before he finds us or her because the next time we face him, he will probably be far more powerful. So get some rest because we set out at sunrise tomorrow" Sango said as she started picking up wood for a fire.

I stalked up to the demon slayer and grabbed her by her kimono and spun her around to face. "Don't ever order me around again, demon slayer" I growled enraged at her trying to become the alpha in this pack. There is no way in hell I would listen to the orders of some weak human.

"Listen hanyou. Your emotions are clouding your mind and therefore you are making bad decisions. The only reason that I am allowing you to live" she said and I felt the sharp tip of a sword through my robes pointed at my stomach. "Is because Kagome would be devastated if you died. So calm yourself and rest for the night" Sango said in an eerily calm voice as she retracted her sword and replaced it at her hip as I let go of her kimono. Her eyes when she was speaking were cold, but in them there was worry. She truly is a trained demon slayer; she never showed any traces of fear. In the future she will be a very valuable ally.

After what had happened I stayed up in a nearby tree and quietly watched them until they all went to sleep. Once the moon was high in the sky Shippo decided to climb up the tree and face me. Actually he just sat on the same branch and stared at me waiting for me to acknowledge his presence. "What is it Runt?" I asked as I looked up to the moon. I would be turning in probably nine more nights, which would present its own problems to handle.

"You will find Kagome, right?" he asked me while hanging his head down. Kagome was probably the closest thing to a mother he has had since his parents died.

"Yeah runt. I will" I said to him and then returned to looking at the waning moon.

"If I asked her to be my mom… do you think she would?" he asked me and the question surprised me, but Kagome has a way of worming into your heart before you even know she is there. She is like a magnet of acceptance and love. It still amazes me at how easy it is for her to trust people around her or become close to others in a short period of time.

"Don't get attached to her. After this is over she is going to go back to her world" I said and saw his face fall.

After I little bit of time went by he crawled up onto my lap and curled into a ball. "Inuyasha, when we are all done, you'll stop her right?" the runt asked me as sleep began to claim him.

"Keh, why should I do that?" I asked him, but that thought has crossed my mind more times than I can count. I actually have grown to hate it when she goes back to her time on the other side of the well. It seems like one day she won't come back and I will never be able to reach her again.

"Because… you love Kagome…" the runt said as he fell asleep in my lap. At those words my entire frame stiffened and I thought back to everything I have gone through with the wench. Why I want to protect her and why I am always so worried about her. Why I hate seeing her hurt, when I would be only slightly angry if the demon slayer was in the same situation.

_'__Kagome has a way of worming into your heart before you even know she is there.'_

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A/N: first, I am sorry it took so... I started to read manga again... I would recommend 'Tokyo Crazy Paradise'.

Second, don't get your hopes up just yet. I am naming the next chapter 'Denial' after all.

Well that's it.

Thank you for reading! :)


	116. Chapter 114: Denial

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 114: Denial

Nope. I definitely don't love the wench. She is my jewel detector and the only one who can see the jewel, which is why I am protecting her and worried about the wench. She is like my mother with all of the kindness and trusting crap, which is the reason why I hate seeing her hurt; also because she is a girl. No. I don't have any special feelings towards her at all. None.

These damn thoughts have been banging around in my head since the runt made that comment last night. The more I try to destroy them the more present they become. All I should be doing is focusing on finding the damn wench and retrieving the damn jewel. I growled to myself and pushed ahead faster to try and find anything that could lead me to her.

"Hurry up!" I yelled over my shoulder at the rest of our misfit group that was on the back of Kirara. I faced ahead again and saw something on a tree in the distance. I veered off in the direction I had spotted the thing. Once I arrived at the tree I picked up what was a torn piece of cloth stuck to a broken branch and sniffed it for any traces of Kagome. It was definitely Kagome's, which meant that I could find her.

I looked around and saw the path that she must have taken when she fell. There were a multitude of broken branches on the tree, but what really caught my attention were the marks in the underbrush. It looked like she hit the ground hard and then rolled along the declining landscape and over a cliff. I leapt from the tree and ran to the edge of the cliff. After a fair drop was a raging river.

All of a sudden images of when that demon almost drowned Kagome came back to me. I shook my head and ran along the river until the cliff leveled into the shore of the river. After traveling for a long ways I came to an extinguished fire. All that was left were dead, cold coals and two scents. The scent of a man and the scent of Kagome.

**Kagome and Muso**:

"Can you tell me more about why they were cast from the celestial realm? I don't know what they could have done to be cursed to live as demons" I asked Muso as I tried to grasp as much information as I could on my heritage.

"I heard that they were cursed because they disobeyed direct orders and killed other celestial beings while doing so" he said with a calm voice as we walked through the forest to the next village, where we would part ways and I would head to back to Kaede's village.

"What orders?" I asked with curiosity and trepidation. For some reason the answer to that simple question scared me to the point that I didn't want to ask, but my mouth moved faster than my conscience.

Muso looked at me with almost sympathetic eyes before he answered my simple question. "Many Celestial beings were led here to exterminate a race who was becoming a danger to the world in the eyes of the leaders of the Celestial Realm. They were sent to this plane in order to kill all of the youkai. The two factions allied together and stopped the slaughter, in return they became youkai themselves." Muso finished telling me why and looked in my direction to see my haunted face.

"How…?" I asked no one in general as images of thousands of youkai being killed all over the world flooded my brain and my ancestors killing them without a second thought.

"Did you think that their history was a beautiful one of them wanting to come to this realm and help this world? For how old you are I am surprised at how naïve you truly are. Most of history is bathed in blood, we are no different" Muso said and turned back ahead towards the next village.

"Perhaps, but you are also sensible for your age. It seems that you have seen much in your time on this earth" I said as I followed behind him.

"Indeed. You wished to know more about the Divine Demons?" he asked me, as if in permission to continue talking.

"Please, continue. I wish to know more about the Divine Demons" I said and once again he began to lecture me about my ancestors.

"As I said before their powers were rooted in light and purification. The royal line is said to have the strongest powers of purification amongst the Divine Demons and also the only ones who don't have a complete animalistic form. They are closely related to the phoenix, but simply have wings instead of an entirely different shape. I believe that this is why they were so trusted by humans in the past. They seemed more human, but their actions often told a different story all together. Many of them were said to be cold hearted and unkind." When Muso said this I thought back to Inuyasha's half-brother and his major attitude issues.

"Which is why most of those trained by any Divine Demons were trained by youkai who held less celestial blood, such as spirit wolves, phoenixes or nine-tailed foxes. The odds of meeting a Divine Demon from the royal family and living to tell about it was rare. There were many different kinds of Divine Demons, just as there were many different kinds of Shadow Walkers. Both factions were known for their unforgiving natures and cruelty when dealing with their foes, but also the power they held in their blood. If the blood of a Divine Demon is consumed then the one who consumed it will be impervious to purification from anyone as powerful or less powerful than that Divine Demon and if the blood of a Shadow Walker is consumed then they would have become impervious to poisons and curses" Muso informed me and with every word I became more entranced by the history he was giving me, even if not all of it was rainbows and butterflies.

"There are ways to locate the Divine Demons, but the means to do so have been lost. There were once stones that would alert the holder to the presence of a Divine Demon and likewise to that of a Shadow Walker. Another way to determine if one is a Divine Demon is by looking into their eyes. Their eyes were always strange and brilliant colors. They would also be the same color of the power they would emanate or use" he said and it made me wonder if he has really never seen a Divine Demon before. For the first time since I met Muso he seemed suspicious and it made a little on edge.

"How do you know all of this information? You speak as if this is factual" I asked him in suspicion at how he knew so much.

"I learned most everything that I know from an old priestess. I am actually on my way to see her before autumn comes because she lives in the mountains with her two mikos in training. If you would like I would be happy to bring you with me, you seem to be very interested in the Divine Demons. It would be a great honor to have someone who shares my interests to accompany me on my journeys and you do make pleasant company" Muso said with a charming smile as he looked into my eyes with sincerity.

I blushed at his proposal and looked away. This got very awkward considering he practically just asked me out or to keep him company at least. He is a nice guy and all, but I have to find the jewel and make sure Inuyasha doesn't use it to become a full demon and I would also be worried about whether he would get along with anyone else or…

"Lady Kagome, if it troubles you to such a degree, then I will not press the matter again. It was merely a request as well as a test. I could see the worry written on your face while you were thinking" he said and gave me an almost sad smile. Great now I feel like a bad person, like I led him on or something. "You truly do care for the hanyou" Muso said to me as if it was a fact set in stone.

I was about to deny him, but stopped myself and thought back to what I was thinking. Besides my duty to destroying the jewel I only thought about Inuyasha. I never even thought about Shippo, who I am slowly starting to consider my own child, or my new friends Sango and Miroku. I only thought about Inuyasha.

Shit.

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A/N: so I watched Jurassic World... I need to see it again and I will. I LOVE the Jurassic Park series, no matter how cheesy it may be.

Also if you are looking for a manga to read try Tokyo Crazy Paradise. It is one of my all time favorites!

Well that is all I have to say.

As always thank you for reading! :)


	117. Chapter 115: Frustration and Confusion

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is still not mine.

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Chapter 115: Frustration and Confusion

Most of the rest of our journey was met with silence after my rejection of Muso's offer to travel with him. If Inuyasha knew about what Muso had said he would… I'm not entirely sure as to exactly what he would do, but my gut is telling me that it wouldn't be good. Not to mention that I was fretting over what happened to Inuyasha and everyone else. They hadn't found me yet and it bothered me to no end.

Then there was all consuming confusion of trying to sort out my feelings by myself. That, and not wanting to admit that Aya, Kara and Tora were right all along. I have no idea what I feel for Inuyasha. I don't really know a good word for it, besides being attracted to him, but I have always felt attracted to him since he is attractive. I trust him with my life and many times he has save me from death. I feel safe with him like I do with my friends and family, but I feel more for him than I do for them. Every time I let my mind wander it goes back to him and I am always looking forward to seeing him again when I go back to my own time. Then there is the fact that I am so readily to forgive him after a fight, which usually doesn't happen even with my friends. Thinking about all of this is making my head hurt and weirdly irritated.

We were nearing the village when I felt a demonic presence heading our direction and was about to warn Muso, but he was far ahead of me and was ready for battle. "Lady Kagome, it would be wise to stand behind me since you are injured" Muso said to me as he walked in front of in order to guard me from whatever was coming.

I focused on the youki to try and discern if it was good or not. The feeling it gave off was that of anger, but luckily I recognized it. It belonged to Inuyasha and though I was relieved to know that I am not looking forward to finding out why he is in such a bad mood. "Um… Monk Muso, lower your sutras and relax. I know who it is" I said just as an angry Inuyasha jumped out from above the trees and landed right next to me.

It took Inuyasha a split second to assess the fact that I am injured and Muso is standing next to me battle ready. "What the hell did you do to Kagome, you bastard!" he growled and I almost gave the command that make him eat dirt. It does not take much for him to jump to conclusions. He didn't even ask if I was alright. The bastard and here I was worried about him.

"Inuyasha he" I started, but Inuyasha interrupted me by pushing me behind him abruptly.

"Answer me!" he yelled at Muso and grabbed him by the front of his robes and brandished his fangs in his face. To add insult to injury Muso had the most unimpressed look on his face I have seen anyone have.

I looked around me and picked up a decent sized rock and chucked it at Inuyasha's head. I figured that if I did end up using the 'sit' command then it would be better not to have him drag Muso down as well. That and I was pissed.

To my satisfaction Inuyasha let out a yelp and turned around to face me with rage filled eyes. "What the hell, wench?!" he yelled in my face and held the back of his head to try and stop the pain.

"That should be my line!" I yelled back at him. At this point Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara showed up and managed to take Muso to the side as Inuyasha and I had our little fight. "Who the hell do you think you are bursting out of the trees in a rage for no damn good reason?!" I screamed and to my satisfaction Inuyasha's white ears pinned themselves to his head.

"Me? ME?! I had EVERY reason, Wench! I thought you were fucking dead! Then I find out you were walking around with some human!" he said and thrust a finger in Muso's direction and anger saturated his voice.

"Well at least he doesn't call me 'wench' and treat me like a possession!" I yelled at him, refusing to be out done right now. After all Muso did nothing wrong, in fact he saved my life. Then after these past few days of him taking care of me and telling me anything I wanted to know about Divine Demons Inuyasha comes flying out of the trees enraged by the fact that I am alive and walking with a human.

"Keh! I just call you what you are!" he yelled back and stepped closer to me to seem even more imposing.

"Listen dog-boy." I seethed and took a step forward to match his advance. "All that should matter is the fact that I am alive and well, but you just focus on the little things, like who the hell I am with. Which for your information, he is a monk named Muso and he saved me. If he hadn't pulled me from that river then you would be arguing with a corpse" I seethed and then slapped him across the face just to get my point across. I was pissed and confused and not entirely in my right mind. For a stupid reason I felt tears well up in my eyes. I grabbed the sleeve of my shirt and furiously wiped them away. I don't know what I was waiting for, but this fight obviously wasn't it. I turned around and walked over to Sango. I absolutely refuse to let any tears fall for such a small matter.

"What, you going to go cry behind a tree?" Inuyasha taunted me and I turned to see him standing with his arms crossed in front of chest and his head tilted slightly with a smirk plastered on his face. At that sight I actually think I heard something in my brain snap.

"OSUWARI!" I screamed so loud some bird flew away from the nearby trees. I huffed and stalked up to Sango. "Sango, may I use Kirara to go back home?" I asked her after I took a few calming breaths to ensure my voice held no malice to my friend.

"Um, yes?" Sango said shakily as she looked over her shoulder to where Inuyasha was laying in an indentation in the ground.

"Don't. You. Dare" Inuyasha seethed and I looked behind me to where he was struggling to get out of his hole. His eyes bore into mine and absolute rage in their amber depths.

I stared straight into his eyes with a face of annoyance and replied to his stupid command, "Osuwari."

I watched as he plummeted once again into the ground then turned back to Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Muso. I looked to Shippo, who actually looked somewhat scared. "Come here Shippo. I'm alright" I said with a smile on my face and held my right arm out to catch the small kit.

Shippo launched himself at me and buried his face in my shoulder as I held him close to me. "I'm so glad you're okay" he cried as I stroked his back.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Do you want to come back with me to Kaede's village? Then we can talk about all of the things that happened when I wasn't here" I asked Shippo, who smiled as he nodded his head yes to my question. I really needed to go back to my time because I actually need a doctor. I am still not even remotely as healed as I should be. My arm is still broken, I still have visible bruises and I know that many of my bones are bruised as well. The fact that I am not healing is starting to freak me out.

I turned to Miroku, I still haven't gotten over his connection to Jak, and asked him to look after Inuyasha a little longer. He agreed while stroking Sango's butt again, which gained him another whack on the head. I gave Inuyasha another 'osuwari' to keep him in one place. Then I turned to Muso.

"Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am that you saved me. I will look forward to seeing you again" I said genuinely to the monk I had made an acquaintance with.

"Of course, Lady Kagome, as will I. My offer still stands, it would truly be a pleasure to travel with you" he said and I blushed because I know everyone heard what he said and everyone knew what it meant. After he said that he left and headed to Kaede's village with Shippo and Kirara, leaving Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha to walk the rest of the way back to Kaede's village.

As everyone went back to their village the monk Muso walked ahead on the path he was originally taking to reach the next village. After the group he had encountered was no longer in sight he took a small round stone from his robes and watched as it faded from a bright aqua to its original clear color. He smiled to himself at what he had found out when he pulled the woman from the river. After so many years of searching he had finally found a Divine Demon. "Truly, Lady Kagome, the pleasure was all mine" he cackled to himself as he once again buried the stone within his robes and continued on his way.

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A/N: so in the next chapter we will see more from Aya and Kara. Kagome needs some serious advice.

As always, thank you for reading! :)


	118. Chapter 116: Through the Well Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

I hope you enjoy :)

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Chapter 116: Through the Well Again

After riding back to Kaede's village I sent Shippo off with Kirara to rendezvous with Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha. On the way back to the village Shippo told me about how worried Inuyasha was for my safety and said that he had a nightmare the night before that nocked Shippo off of his lap and woke everyone else in the camp up. Shippo had said that Inuyasha almost broke the branch he had been sleeping on because his claws were dug so deep into the wood. After listening to everything Shippo had to say about the past few days I felt guilty for how I had treated Inuyasha, but only a little bit. He deserved at least a few of those subjugation commands.

Before I left for my time I went and talked, more like ranted, to Kaede. She calmly listened to me explain everything that had happened and smiled at the end of my story. "Kagome child. Inuyasha is a difficult being to understand for he does not show any weakness to others and yet, ye expect him to show ye that which he shows none. Me thinks it is time ye thought why ye wish him to show ye everything" she said to me with wisdom reflected in her eye and a sweet smile creasing her face. I looked at her in bewilderment as her words slowly sank in, but before I could respond to her she spoke again. "If ye wish to go home before Inuyasha stops ye, I would suggest ye make haste." I swear as she said that I saw a mischievous glint in her one good eye.

I decided that it was best not to argue with Kaede on this one. If Inuyasha returned before I got to the other side of the well then there is no way he would let me go home. Home… every time I went through the well I had at least one jewel shard with me and this time I don't have any. If the well is activated by the jewel then I have no way of getting home. I would be stuck in this time.

I sprinted to the well and threw my self over the wooden edge as I held onto every shred of hope that it would still work. As I fell through the well the familiar purple light rose up around me and engulfed me. Soon after I entered the void of strange light I landed at the bottom of the well. I looked up and saw a wood roof above me and a ladder in front of me. I was home. At this realization I smiled widely and then climbed up the ladder to get out of the well, which is incredibly hard considering I still have a broken arm. The arm would be fun to explain to Mom.

I climbed out of the well and hurried out of the well house to be met with bright sunshine and a light breeze. I heard the sounds of leaves rustling and the smells of the city wafting through the air. It feels good to be home, but… it feels as if something is off and I can't place what it is.

"Kagome?" a familiar voice brought me out of my wonderings and I looked to see my Mom walking towards me while drying her hands on a dish rag.

"Hey Mom!" I exclaimed and waved my good arm in the air as a greeting.

"What happened?" she asked me calmly with an expectant gaze. Somehow she had accepted the fact that I could travel through time by jumping in a well and I was fighting demons on the other side to make a small pink jewel whole again. How she accepted it was beyond me when Grandpa is still hung up on the fact that I have demon blood and Souta almost broke a leg trying to follow me one day. That was an interesting story to come home to one day.

"I broke my arm" I said to her as I avoided looking her in the eyes. One thing I am not good at is lying to my mom.

"I can see that" I heard the irritation in her voice and could feel her eyes studying me as she looked for any other obvious injuries.

"I fell on a rock and my arm broke" I told her. It probably wasn't a lie, but it definitely wasn't the whole truth. If I told her what really went on in past she would never let me go back.

"Alright" she said in defeat, knowing that she would never get the whole story and gestured me to come inside.

After Mom made me a sandwich for lunch she called my doctor's office to see if she could schedule an appointment. The fact that I wasn't healing was worrying her as well so she decided to call my personal physician.

"I managed to get you an appointment tomorrow morning at 9:15. She had a cancelation last minute and that was the only opening for the next three weeks" My mom said as she placed the phone back in its cradle and looked back at me with a triumphant smile.

"Thank you Mom!" I exclaimed with a grateful smile on my face, but the truth is that I am worried about what my physician will say because my situation isn't exactly human in nature. After thanking my mother once again I went to the familiar room in the back of the house where the smell of paint and fresh canvas emanate.

A grin made its way to my face as I turned on the light and illuminated everything in the room. I took my sketch book out and looked through what I had already drawn. Drawings of flowers and scenery I had seen before it was industrialized and the people we met along out journey. I drew a sketch of Kaede picking herbs peacefully for medicine that could be made. A drawing of Miroku looking off into the distance with his staff in his hand and one of Sango playing with Kirara. A drawing of Shippo and Kirara together as well as one with Sango resting against Miroku, though the latter was from my own imagination. Then I came across the numerous drawings of Inuyasha and all of his expressions. Each and every one of them were different and it made me feel fuzzy and warm to know each and every one of them personally. I smiled and felt my cheeks grow warm as I looked at the many different faces of Inuyasha I have drawn so far and the thought that I will be able to draw more.

Then I came to a drawing I had forgotten, or rather didn't want to remember. A man, rather hanyou with kind eyes had his head turned and was looking back as a warm smile curved his mouth. His black hair hung down to his shoulders in gentle waves and he had a hand on a woman's shoulder who felt eerily familiar to me. I drew her with her back to me as was the man's, but the difference was that she wasn't looking back. No, she was facing away and her long dark brown hair hung below where I had drawn and almost covered her back from shoulder to shoulder. Her frame was small and her shoulders were slumped as if she had just released a sigh of relief.

I felt tears prickle my eyes as I saw what I had drawn. I knew both the hanyou and human in this picture they had been in my life for only a few years, but they were there indeed. I brushed my hand lightly against what I had drawn as I said 'thank you' under my breath to the drawing of my birth parents. And then scribbled a name to the piece I would start to paint. I couldn't remember them very well, but with this painting I would never forget them.

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A/N: So in upcoming chapters we get to meet up with Kagome's friends in the future and we meet her doctor.

I apologize for not updating for a while.

Well I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter :)

And thank you for reading!


	119. Chapter 117: Breakfast

Disclaimer: I don's own Inuyasha. The OCs are mine though! :)

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Chapter 117: Breakfast

"Kagome" Ms. Higurashi called as she walked to her daughter's room to ensure she was awake and would make her appointment this morning. She opened the door to her daughter's room and walked up to her bedside when she saw that she was still asleep. Just before she was going to wake her daughter she saw the drawing that was lying next to her. It was a drawing of a man and a woman wearing traditional clothing and at the bottom Kagome had written the title 'Sayonara'.

Ms. Higurashi glanced back at her sleeping daughter's face and noticed the tear stains on her pillow. Her heart ached for her daughter, but she didn't know what to do, nor if she would be able to help in any way. Just as Ms. Higurashi was about to place her hand on her daughter's shoulder to wake her up the alarm clock next to her bed went off. At the abrupt sound Ms. Higurashi removed her hand and waited for her daughter to wake up.

There was the annoying beeping of my alarm clock that brought me back into consciousness. I reached out and plopped my hand on top of my alarm clock to hit the snooze button so I could return to the inviting darkness of dreamland and sleep lane.

"Kagome, dear, it is time to wake up. You have an appointment today and I would prefer if you were not late for it" I heard my mom say and I could hear both amusement and concern in her voice as I slowly opened my heavy eyes.

"Mornin' Mom" I said with a sleepy smile and wiped the sleep from my eyes as I took in the look on my mother's face.

"Are you alright dear?" she asked me with genuine concern and I watched as her eyes drifted back down to my bed where I noticed that my drawing was lying.

I looked back to her and saw the worry in her eyes. "I'm alright Mama" I said to her with a warm and genuine smile. Immediately I saw the motherly warmth I came to know return to her features and felt relief flood through me at the sight. Even if I was starting to remember my birth parents she would always be my mother and nothing would change that, not even time.

I hopped out of bed and struggled to dress myself with my one arm out of commission. I opted for a simple t-shirt and yoga pants because pants with buttons are a pain at the moment. After I was done getting dressed and brushing my hair I went downstairs and was welcomed by the smell of breakfast being cooked. I managed to catch Souta just before he left for school to say 'good morning'. I sat down at the table with grandpa and helped myself to what was offered on the table. Grandpa didn't even make eye contact with me and simply folded up his newspaper, grabbed a piece of toast and walked out of the door to the courtyard.

I sighed and wondered if he would ever speak to me again. "Don't worry Kagome, he is just jealous of you and disappointed that he is unable to do what you are capable of. That and he doesn't like your friend, Inuyasha. He doesn't hate you, you are his granddaughter after all" Mama said to me and I smiled at her.

"Thanks Mom. I just wish that he would talk to me instead of sulking all the time when I am around" as I was saying this Mom sat down next to me after she had turned off the burner to the stove and placed all of the dishes in the sink to be washed after breakfast was done.

"I know sweetie" she replied as she started to eat her own breakfast and I glanced at the clock to see that it was getting late if I didn't hurry up then I would be late for my appointment.

"Thank you Mom. Thank you for everything" I said after I was done with my breakfast and got up to put my dishes in the hot soapy water in the sink.

"You're welcome, Kagome" a bright smile creased my mother's face as she caught onto what I meant. Ever since I started going back to the past and found out about my heritage it was only my mother who had never looked at me differently or acted any different. That meant so much to me and I felt that I should thank her for that.

"Though you should stop dawdling and get to your appointment. You're going to be late" she gently patronized and I said a quick goodbye before I ran out the door with my purse on my shoulder.

I just barely managed to make it to the office on time to make my appointment. I was led into a room where a nurse came in to take my temperature, blood pressure and ask me many questions regarding pain and any strange symptoms I may have concerning my arm. Once she was done she left the room to give the information to my doctor.

"Good day, Miss Higurashi" my doctor smiled as she entered the room. Her eyes were a gentle blue and her hair was ash blonde and tied up on a high ponytail behind her head. The color of her skin revealed that she had roots in some southern country as her skin was a beautiful bronze.

"It is, Yamauchi-sensei" I replied as called her by her respected title.

"It looks like there is something strange going on with your body, as it is not healing properly. That and you managed to break a bone. I would like to draw some blood samples and have a few x-rays done to ensure that there are no more fractures other than the one in your arm" she said as she began to write on my charts and make arrangements about the x-rays and blood samples.

"Has there been any drastic changes in your routine lately?" she asked and I immediately froze in my spot. How the hell was I going to explain what has been happening the past few months to my doctor?

"I have been training more… Which is how I managed to break my arm" I lied through my teeth and she did not look impressed at my response.

"Kagome, I have been your doctor for years. The last time you broke any bones was when you fell out of a tree" she said and I knew that I would have to get really good at lying and really fast.

"I was training with Kara and she flung me off of her and I flew into a pole at the dojo" I lied again and tried not to make it sound like a question. Maybe coming to see her was a bad idea.

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A/N: Alright let's see how well Kagome can lie this time. :)

BTW lying to people is wrong.

Well I hope you enjoyed the short chapter (sorry it's so short!) and thank you for reading!


	120. Chapter 118: Picnic

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. If I did then this story would probably never be written. :)

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Chapter 118: Picnic

Yamauchi-sensei stared at me for a long time in speculation until she let out a long sigh. "If I ever meet this Kara person, I'm not sure if I should thank her or scold her" she almost seemed to pout as she flipped through some of the charts that were in front of her. "Well if your body is having this hard of a time recovering you must be going through a lot of stress and it has weakened your body tremendously. I would suggest rest and relaxation for the next few weeks" she said to me as she gave me my orders and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at what she had said. There was no way I would be able to get a few weeks of rest, maybe a day or two, but not a few weeks. "This is the prescription for some pain killers and the nurse will come in in a minute to take you to get an x-ray to determine if you need a cast. From what I can tell, whoever set your arm was very well trained and knew what they were doing. There also seems to be only one break in the Ulna" she said to me as the nurse walked in to take me to where I would get my x-ray. After a few hours at her clinic I was given a brace to keep my arm immobile so that the bone could heal properly. I had only one fracture in my forearm and it was already healing correctly.

I decided to agree with my doctor that I wasn't healing as fast because I was under a lot of stress, which is entirely true. No girl my age should have to face so many demons and perils, but then again Sango had done so on a daily basis for money. It wasn't a question of age, but the difference was that I come from a different time. Rather I grew up in a different time and am used to peaceful times without having to look over my shoulder for the next demon that comes to take my life.

As I walked down the streets I felt my powers prickle for a split second as a man brushed by, barely grazing my shoulder. He was of average height and had short, wavy black hair that framed his pale face. I caught a glimpse of his dark brown eyes, but for an instant I could have sworn that they were the color of rubies. A jade bracelet hung on one of his wrists with white feathers engraved into their surface. I had met the man only once before, it was Yamauchi-sensei's husband. He was a beautiful man, beautiful enough to be a Kabuki dancer if he wished. When he passed by me I was blinded by the sun and time regained its original pace, as if before it had slowed to show me something. The only problem was that I didn't see anything except the strange way the light reflect off of his eyes for less than a split second. I shook my head from the weird thoughts and continued home with a new splint on my arm.

As I was walking up the stairs to the shrine I smelled lunch being cooked. Though not any lunch it was being made by Kara. Jerk chicken on the grill with mango jalapeño salsa and grilled asparagus and rice. It was one of Kara's secret pleasures, she loved to cook and she was really good at it too. Though she really liked things that were spicy. I smiled and ran up the rest of the stairs to greet my friend. What greeted me was Aya being chased around by Tora with a water gun and Kara eating a sucker while tending to the grill. Souta was hiding with his own water gun as he was attempting to ambush Tora. My mom walked out carrying a plate of asparagus to be put on the grill and a glass of water for Kara.

Kara turned around to accept the water and vegetables and thank my mom. As she was about to turn back around she caught me out of the corner of her eye. She smiled brightly, but it soon vanished when she saw my arm in the splint. I waved using my uninjured arm and gave her a nervous smile.

"How the hell did you do that" she gestured to me with her eyes as she checked on the food. Aya and Tora made another lap around the shrine and said a quick hello to me before they continued their game of tag.

"I fell" I said truthfully, not like I was going to explain I fell from the sky after I lost consciousness from being held hostage by an evil youkai. That conversation would not go too well.

"No shit Sherlock. I thought you decided to fly and ran into a tree" she replied sarcastically with a grin crossing her face.

"I fell down the stairs okay" I said and I had to blush at the embarrassing lie.

Kara on the other hand wasn't even looking at me, no she was trying to hold in her laughter at my situation. "You have lived here your entire life and you break a bone while falling down stairs?" she said in between giggles that did not suit her age of 21.

"Shut up" I said and lightly punched her shoulder.

"Alright lunch is almost done, but I want to talk to you about your new found love life" she said with a smirk and I felt my face heat up at the accusation. "Well it seems you do have _something_ going on" Kara said in a sly voice as she leered at me trying to grasp anything she could.

"There is nothing going on between me and Inuyasha! We're just friends" I hissed at her, even though I wanted to yell at her from embarrassment and frustration.

"I never said _who_ it was, or the fact that I knew his name" she leered and I, once again, fell into a trap. Before I could respond Aya jumped on my back and screamed 'SAFE' as loud as she could to Tora. Knowing her she stuck her tongue out at him like a child.

"Oi, is the food done?" she questioned excitedly from her place on my back. Aya had a weird habit of always jumping on people's backs, lucky for me she is relatively light.

"Almost" Kara replied. "And get off of Kagome's back. Her arm is broken" she scolded Aya. Even though Aya was a year older than myself she often acts like a child, rather she has some of the same mannerisms as one.

Aya slid off of my back and was about to apologize, but before she got the chance to, she yelped in surprise. I turned around to see Aya wet from a double sided attack from my brother and Tora.

"You two should run now" I said as I could almost see steam coming off of Aya from her anger.

"Don't worry Kagome. Running will only delay the inevitable" she seethed and spun around to run after the boys.

"It was good knowing you Souta" I said and wiped a nonexistent tear from my eye before I erupted in laughter with Kara by my side.

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A/N: There is a purpose to these short and sweet chapters because after these the story will really pick up. Many different things are going to happen after Kagome's arm heals. Be ready :)

Thank you for reading!


	121. Chapter 119: Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 119: Home

Eventually the day came to an end, Aya managed to get her revenge in the form of watered down powdered sugar bombs and lunch ended with little hostility. Aya and Tora left after talking between the four of us for a few hours and Tora decided he should go back home to shower and wash the confectioner's sugar from his black hair. After they had left Kara decided to invite me to see her new house, rather penthouse, which she lived in with her husband.

"How have you not invited me to where you live yet?" I asked in curiosity, rarely would we go to Kara's home because mine was so convenient.

"You never asked" Kara said as a simple answer to my question.

"You never even told me that you had moved" I pouted as I brooded over the lack of information that Kara shared from her private life.

"Well, it's not like you need to know every detail of my life" she sassed back at me as we walked down the street.

"Excuse me? I'm your best friend, I'm entitled to know" I teased her with a smile on my face as I seized the moment to use the 'best friend' card.

"Since when?" she replied with a rather loud voice that turned heads as we walked down the street. We had to stifle the giggles as we looked at peoples questioning glances.

"Since you pushed me out of the tree" I said seriously and looked at her with a knowing expression.

"Ah. That's right" she said as if she had a hard time recalling the memory. Before she could react I punched her in the arm and she let out a quick 'hey' as she rubbed where my fist had made contact with her dark skin.

"Anyways, how are things going between you and your husband that I have never met or even know the name of?" I asked her since she rarely ever spoke of him. It was like he was a ghost or something to everyone except Kara.

"I never told you his name?" she asked me and simply gave me a 'huh' instead of giving me answers.

"Kara" I protested to the lack of information, I could use a little real world gossip and news before I go back to the past and try not to get swept in the crazy, the battles and my incredibly confusing view of Inuyasha. Yeah, I definitely need a reprieve.

"Fine. His name is Takeshi and he runs most of the company after we made the merger and I am head of the research division, which is incredibly interesting by the way" she said and I started to put a picture together in my head of exactly who was able to keep Kara by his side without going crazy. "We both live together, I like him and that's about it" she said quickly and I just stared at her in expectation, but I might as well be staring at a brick wall for all Kara cared. The only things I knew about him was that he was the head honcho of the company that Kara is now working for and he is great in bed.

"So enough about me, I want to know what is happening with your love life" she said and smiled when my face gained a pink tint. I love her like a sister, but sometimes she doesn't know how to let a topic go.

"No" I replied to her obstinately and refused to answer any questions she asked me all the way to her home.

"Oh, c'mon!" she exclaimed in a loud voice, which once again gained the attention of the people around us. "I'm not going to tell anyone and I'm curious because you haven't actually liked a guy before. That kid from elementary doesn't count" she added on as an afterthought, thinking that I would bring up some old crush from before I even knew what the word means.

"You obviously like the guy because if you felt like he was just a friend then you wouldn't have a problem talking about him. Take Tora for example, if anyone were to ask you about him you wouldn't have trouble talking about him, but this Inuyasha guy has your emotions all up in a tangle. All I know is that you are falling and fast" Kara said and with every word she spoke I tried to find something I could use to deny it, but as she spoke the more her words seemed like they were true.

"Since you are such an expert on love, why don't you tell me how you know you are in love?" I asked in a defensive voice so that I could change the direction of the conversation to be pointed at her instead of going down a road that I didn't want to think of right now.

"I don't know. I'm not in love, but I do like my husband very much and am growing to love him. Unlike what all of the books and movies say, love is not just all kisses and butterflies at first sight. For most people it takes time and work to keep a relationship going. If I wasn't originally attracted to Takeshi we would not still be together. The fact that we are says a lot for how our relationship is going" she said to me in a strangely calm and wise voice that didn't fit well with how she normally acts. It's weird, but comforting coming from her.

"Okay, Socrates. Enough with the philosophical guilt trip" I replied to her as I layed down the sarcasm to an immense degree. I could see what she is saying, but the fact is that I am not willing to decide that I actually like Inuyasha in that sense. After all he still has feelings for Kikyo, my preincarnation.

My face must have contorted into one of disappointment because Kara decided she would try and cheer me up in her own way. "Okay so there is more to this and I may need to beat his ass."

"Kara you can't beat him" I said in all seriousness. Kara is human after all and her going up against Inuyasha, a hanyou, is a very bad idea.

"Really? All of you can't even get a hit in" she said tauntingly as we reminisced training together and not once could someone get a hit in on Kara. "That and if you are basing it on your skill then don't. You know that Tora lets you beat him right?" she questioned me and I just stared at her.

"No he doesn't." I replied honestly and sternly.

"You can't beat Aya and he can. I rest my case" she said to me with a cocky smirk on her face and watched my reaction as my face contorted in anger then denial and finally irritation at the fact that I have been led on by one of my good friends.

I glared at her, sulking in my own misery. This was a blatant reminder at how much the past and present remain different. The most dangerous things I encountered here are falling out of trees and sarcastic comments, but in the past I have almost died multiple times. Even through the danger I can't help to feel a pull to the past even though I live in the present. This feeling compounded to my growing feelings for Inuyasha were muddling my mind and making it even harder to come home every time I jumped through the well. Home… is home for me still here in the present or is it somehow 500 years in the past?

"Okay. I won't talk about the cute cosplayer anymore, so stop sulking because we are here" Kara said and I looked at the tall building that stood out in front of me made of grey concrete and glass. I craned my head to see the very top as it stood amongst some of the tallest buildings in Tokyo. "Close your mouth because we are going in" Kara said to me in amusement as she walked through the large metal doors that made up the entrance. The inside of the building was even more magnificent. It was like walking into a five-star hotel complete with the finely dressed front desk staff and marble floors.

"Good evening Tsukino-san" Kara said to the lady at the front desk before she walked over to the elevator.

I just stood there in awe as I took everything in and was reminded at just how rich Kara actually was. It was easy to forget because she never flaunted it or really ever showed the fact that she was incredibly wealthy. Kara ran back to pull me into the gilded elevator before she left me gaping at the lobby. We took the elevator up to the second floor to the top and stepped out into a small hallway with a single locked wooden door. Kara pulled out her key and turned the lock then put a pass code into the punch pad.

"Alrighty then, here we are. Bienvenue chez moi" she said in French and smiled as she motioned me into her home. What greeted me was a wide open space with bamboo flooring and not much else besides a set of stairs that went up one level. Mirror panels made up two sides of the room and windows covered the other two. I looked around and smiled widely at Kara, it was a training area.

"I really hope that you don't sleep here" I said to her with sarcasm as I took in the simple beauty of the room. Weapons from around the world hung on the walls from different eras and countries.

Kara took in my amused expression before she responded to my question, "Of course not. We sleep, eat and entertain upstairs" she said and jerked her thumb at the stairs in the corner of the room that led to a glass lined overlook. "C'mon, I'll treat you to a cup of coffee" she said as she invited me upstairs.

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A/N: sorry about not updating, I have been on vacation in Minnesota for around a week and a half. As I have said before, these chapters serve a purpose.

As always, thank you for reading!


	122. Chapter 120: Takeshi

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. The OC's are mine though :)

This is your 'every tenth chapter' reminder to vote on the poll!

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Chapter 120: Takeshi

The upstairs' interior design was modern and simple, even with all of the neutral colors it managed to be comfortable and warm. As Kara was making the coffee in the kitchen that seemed to be straight out of a magazine, I walked over to search around the spacious penthouse. I walked over to their living room, or what I assumed was it, and walked up to the mantle above a fireplace. On it were a few pictures, some of them were new and some were from an era long past. I looked at the multiple black and white pictures of old relatives from both Kara and her husband. I found one in sepia of two women standing beneath the Eiffel tower. One looked strangely like Kara, except she was taller and thinner with far longer hair. The woman standing next to her had long hair that was tied in a bun with wisps of wavy hair sticking out.

"That's my mother's great aunt and her best friend" Kara said behind me as the strong scent of fresh coffee wafted through the air. When I turned around she handed me a warm mug of the great smelling brew.

"Wow, I suppose great looks run in the family" I said in an amused voice at the almost identical woman to Kara who stood motionless on sepia colored paper. I then noticed a picture of Kara and a man that I have never met. He had pale skin, chestnut colored eyes, short black hair and one of the most beautiful faces I have seen on the face of a man in my life. "Please tell me _that_ is your husband" I said as I rudely pointed to the phot of her and the man.

"Mmhm" she mumbled as she took a sip of the steaming drink she held in her hands. I looked again at the picture and saw how much they contrasted with each other, but I could see how much she means to him even through the photo. "Pretty good catch, huh" she smirked at me as I was still astonished at the picture.

"I can see why you like him" I said dumbly as I continued to stare at the photo.

"Oi, don't go trying to steal my husband, this is not some daytime TV sitcom here" she said sarcastically to me as she lightly punched my shoulder.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to" I rolled my eyes as I was brought out of my stupor.

"Of course not, he's not your type anyways" Kara looked at me with a dubious expression as she sipped her coffee.

"Really? How would you know what my type is?" I asked incredulously of my best friend and raised an eyebrow for emphasis.

"Let's see… you didn't like Hojo in high school, he was the nice type. You also don't look at Tora in a romantic way and he is the perverted type who manages to cherish those he cares about" Kara began her speech and I had to stop her when she started to talk about Tora.

"How did you get that?" I asked in skepticism. Tora has always been openly perverted, but deep down he is a good guy. Though I would not use the word 'cherish' in the same sentence as him.

"You haven't seen when he and Aya are together, he really does love her and would do anything for her. If ever does marrying anyone they will be well looked after, not to mention his children. Can you imagine what would happen if he had a daughter?" Kara giggled and I tried to form the vision in my head and realized that Kara is right and he would be the crazy protective dad. The more I thought about it more amusing the picture in my head became and I joined Kara in a laughing duet.

After we finished, which wasn't for a while, Kara sighed in contentment and took another drink of her lukewarm coffee. "Now that we are done laughing at Tora's future family, let's continue where I left off. You, my dear Kagome, are a very picky person. You don't like the nice guys, perverts, or the bad boys. No, what you like is someone like me. An obnoxious guy that you can argue with, laugh with and who will respect and protect you. I don't know what 'type' your cosplayer is, but I bet he has at least a few of those characteristics if he has managed to catch your eye. I can't give you much advice in love except to follow your heart" Kara said to me and I was caught between gagging and laughing at what she had said. Kara has been known to be somewhat philosophical at times, but never Disney.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" she asked in annoyance and the Kara I know and love is back to her original self. "It sounded like a hyena and a pig mated and their child just spoke through your mouth. That was not a noise I ever plan on hearing again" Kara said and her face dissolved from annoyance to amusement at the fact that I had laughed after my small outburst of unknown sound.

"Well" I tried calm myself from the laughter that continued to spill from my mouth to continue what I was trying to say to my friend. "Well" I started again as I wiped tears from my eyes, "I never expected you to go Disney on me."

"I did not!" she exclaimed then thought back to our conversation and sunk her head in despair. "Holy crap I did… I need to take a break from babysitting my nieces." She said in horror like it was the worst thing to happen to her.

"It's not so bad. It's not like Disney is horrible" I said, knowing full well that we used to watch the Lion King, Lilo &amp; Stitch and Journey to Atlantis when we were younger, every once in a while I still do.

"Try watching Cinderella four times in a row" she glared at me and I realized then and there that little girls were to be feared when they were allowed to pick a movie.

"Alright, it's going to be okay. I would just suggest you not babysitting them for a little while" I said and patted my friend on her back in a soothing gesture.

Just as I was about to say something else I heard a ding come from the floor below signaling that the elevator had found the correct floor. I looked over to Kara and she looked fine as if nothing had happened. "Are you expecting anyone?" I asked, for some reason my nerves were on edge and I had no idea why.

"Hmm? Oh! It's just Takeshi, he came home earlier than I thought he would" she said nonchalantly as she picked up hers and my empty cups and headed to the kitchen in order to rinse them out in the sink. At her statement my unease left me, but nervousness followed because I had never met the man that Kara had married before.

I followed Kara to the kitchen to help her with the two dishes we had dirtied as I thought of ways to introduce myself to the man that I had only seen in a picture.

"Ah, we seem to have a guest" he said before he had ascended the stairs completely with mild surprise dangling on the edge of his voice.

"This is my best friend Kagome" Kara said over shoulder as she handed me the second cup then grabbed a towel to dry her hands of the soapy water. "Kagome this is my husband Takeshi" she said once I was done drying my own hand and the cup that I was previously holding. "Told you he was real" she sneered at me before I could answer. I knew that my cheeks were pink from embarrassment.

Takeshi raised a thin eyebrow in amusement and curiosity before he spoke with enjoyment at the situation nearly hidden by his formal speech. "I assure you, Miss Kagome, that I am truly not a fantasy that my wife has conjured up. Though what she has told you about me may very well be just that, a fantasy" he said and gave Kara an admonishing look, which she never even paid any attention to.

"Well, I am glad because it seems she is being well looked after" I said politely all the while knowing that the comment would get under her skin.

"I am not a pet" Kara ground out in almost a growl that sounded increasingly dangerous and threatening with every syllable. I simply smiled at her as if I had done nothing wrong.

"Of course, my dear" Takeshi said as he stood before Kara and held her chin in his large hand. He tilted her head up so that she could look into his eyes, "Though you do still need someone to care for you." I saw the slightly smug look on his face as he watched Kara's expression twist in his gentle grasp. She was ticked off at him and what he said, though it didn't seem to even phase him. I know that an angry Kara is a terrifying Kara, Takeshi didn't seem to care. Any unease I felt before seemed to dissipate as I watched him tease Kara with growing amusement.

"Truly it is nice to meet you, but I think it is time for me to go" I said and broke into the world that only held Kara and her husband. Kara jumped from his grasp and offered to walk me to the door, which I refused after feeling bad for interrupting their moment. I almost chuckled at the look Kara sent my way as I left their luxurious penthouse and headed back to my far more comfortable shrine.

After Kagome had left Kara turned back to Takeshi and crossed her arms while putting all of her weight on one foot, her entire posture exuded annoyance. "Did you have to chase her away like that?" Kara admonished her husband who still held a slightly smug expression.

"It seemed the easiest way to have her leave of her own accord" he said and walked to their bedroom to change from the expensive suit he wore.

Kara sighed, after being married for four years she learned that the more angry she became in front of Takeshi the more amused he seemed to get, though that held true for any emotion she showed in front of him. To him, her emotions that always presented themselves on her face were a form of entertainment, not that she was much different. Takeshi never held any drastic changes in facial expressions for any of his emotions, which is why Kara enjoys pushing any button she can find to trigger a reaction from him. It wasn't exactly a normal relationship, but for the two of them it seemed to work.

"I leave tonight for Egypt. I thought I should let you know before I woke you up in the middle of the night" Kara informed her husband as she walked into the bedroom and leaned up against the door frame.

"Why do you constantly insist on informing me of such things at the last minute or not at all?" Takeshi asked with barely concealed anger. He hated it when Kara went to different countries on business when he wasn't there.

"Because if I told you earlier you would go yourself" she said honestly. He was incredibly protective and possessive when they first met, but as time went on he had learned that Kara was just as independent as eh was protective. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place, her independent and wild yet caring nature. She was a puzzle to him and he wanted to figure everything out about her. He just wished she felt the same way.

"I was going to go for a run before my flight, but since you are home… maybe you could be a good replacement" Kara said and her expression left no room for debate as far as what she was implying. He eyes glazed over with passion and a seductive smile found its way to her lips as she took her shirt off. Takeshi looked on in appreciation and had no qualms fulfilling her request, perhaps he would even have her miss the late flight.

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A/N: yes this is the second time today I have updated this story. I know I have been gone for more than a week and a half, but I wanted to get these three chapters done.

I swear that by the end of this story it will all make sense... I really hope it does...

Anyways! Thank you for reading and being so patient, also Furostomi-chan I want to thank you for giving the feedback. Because of it I have been thinking of making some minor changes to the story, characters and information I put into the story in the future.


	123. Chapter 121: Feeling

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 121: Feeling

I arrived back at the shrine only to see it empty and everyone gone. When I went in the house I saw the note that said Mom was running errands with grandpa. Souta was probably out with some friends and being a teenager, which left me alone at the shrine with Buyo. I still had a few hours before dinner so I grabbed a book from my room that I hadn't finished reading and walked over to the sacred tree; I would paint, but that is difficult to do with a broken arm. I sat down in the cool shade and flipped the book open to where I had last left off reading.

Inuyasha's POV:

'I just came to check up on the wench. She is injured after all' I thought to myself and tried to justify why I was coming to her world when she hasn't even apologized for what she did. It didn't help that whenever I close my eyes to get some rest I see her face and what could have happened is she hadn't protected herself for Naraku. If she hadn't done whatever she did Kagome would be dead…

I stopped in my tracks at that thought. That very thought had been digging its claws into my mind for the past few days. It also brought back up the other times I was never able to protect her and how close she came to dying those times. When she drowned, with the crow, the Thunder Brothers and finally Naraku. Maybe it would be better for her to stay in this world; it would be far safer, but then I would lose Kagome.

I clenched my fists in anger and to keep myself from destroying anything. How selfish could I be… if I keep her with me then Naraku will target her again and she will get hurt again because of my desire to have the jewel and become a full blooded demon. She didn't deserve any of this and I certainly don't deserve her kindness

I clenched and unclenched my clawed fists until I was calm enough to walk out of the well house. The sun momentarily blinded me with its brightness before my amber eyes adjusted to the outside light. Everything was the same as when I was here last, the sacred tree, the shrine, Kagome's house and the smell of foreign scents and chemicals in the air. I don't think I can ever get used to that smell or the scenery of the city that surrounded Kagome's house and shrine. Though what I was not expecting was to find Kagome sitting beneath the sacred tree, asleep.

The slight breeze that was blowing moved her black hair to tickle her face as she slept. I watched her from where I stood and realized that even in this world she would be vulnerable, except I wouldn't be the one to protect Kagome in this world. I have no place in this different world Kagome insists on returning to.

I'm selfish, even if I try not to be. I want to be the only one who protects this difficult wench. I want to be the only one who sees her so vulnerable and defenseless. Even when we argue I manage to gain amusement. Being with Kagome makes me feel accepted and… happy.

"Keh" I scoffed at myself for that thought and approached the wench. Happiness was a feeling that I had not felt in a long time. I squatted down in front of her and stared at her face. I wonder what makes her so special, why does she feel special.

A strand of midnight hair was pulled from behind her ear by the blowing breeze. I grasped in between my clawed fingers for a moment and felt how soft it was against my rough skin. It reminded me just how fragile Kagome really was. She would always bite off more than she could chew. She was similar to me in the sense that she would charge straight into the battle without a second thought. She has such a strong spirit in such a defenseless body.

"How are you going to fight beside me with such a breakable body?" I whispered to Kagome, knowing that she was asleep and it would not wake her up. For some reason I decided to jump up into the branches of the sacred tree instead of waking the wench up like she deserved. I'm still pissed about the commands from before, but I'm relieved that she is okay. I sat in the familiar branches and let my mind wander.

After some time a sound from below caught my attention and brought me from my thoughts about the consequences of killing the monk. I looked down at the wench's profile and saw her fidget a little. I figured that she was waking up until I smelled salt in the air.

'Why's she cryin'?' I thought and jumped off of my branch soundlessly landing on the ground beside Kagome.

I bent down to look at her face and saw the tears streaming down her face. Her features were scrunched in fear as she continued to dream. "Oi, wench. Wake up" I said to her and it did nothing to wake her up. I then shook her shoulder and said the same thing over again far louder this time. When she didn't wake up to that I started to feel worried that she could be possessed or something.

"Damn it, Kagome! Wake up!" I yelled as I grabbed both of her shoulders and jolted her once. To my relief her eyes flew open and took in everything in front of her. What I was not expecting was her to launch herself at me and hug me with all of her strength.

"Umm… Kagome?" I asked as I tried to pry her off without hurting the wench. The action only seemed to get her to grab me harder and push her body closer to mine, if that was even possible.

"Thank you" she whispered to me so softly that I could barely hear it. "If I never met you I would be dead" she choked out and continued to cling to me. I wanted to know what she had dreamed to give her such a violent reaction, but now was not the time. Instead I just patted her back as soothingly as I could and tried to keep my mind off the fact that Kagome is gripping me like a lifeline. I could feel my cheeks warming from the embarrassment and the awkwardness of this entire situation. The wench is going to have some serious explaining to do, not to mention the fact she still has to apologize.

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A/N: I have tried to rewrite this chapter a few times, but I couldn't change it very much either way.

I think I have been reading too many romance manga and reading too many gushy romance novels lately... It doesn't help that I am not good at romance in general... Oh, well. It's a fanfiction and it is going to be written!

Thank you all for reading!


	124. Chapter 122: Dark

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Should have gone to sleep, but decided to write this chapter instead.

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Chapter 122: Dark

After that incredibly awkward situation Inuyasha said that he would come and get me tomorrow so that we could go and hunt for the jewel and jumped through the well into the past. In all honesty I didn't really hear him. I was far too busy thinking about what my nightmare meant, especially what the voice had meant when it said I was 'destruction'.

My dream had started off seeming like a memory, but it soon turned into a nightmare. I remember playing with someone in a forest as a young child. Actually it was Inuyasha's forest that we were playing in, but then they disappeared from my view and black shadows oozed from the ground and started to chase me. Eventually I was caught by the shadows and was swallowed up into darkness, all the while a malicious, cruel voice whispered that my power was only ever meant for destruction. That I am destruction. As soon as I thought I would go crazy from the constant harassment a clawed hand grabbed my arm and pulled me from the darkness that had consumed me whole. When I looked up to see who my savior was I saw golden eyes staring back at me and I heard Inuyasha call my name. After that I had woken up completely and launched myself at him.

I dropped my head onto the table as my mom made dinner. I could feel my face heat up just from the sheer thought that I did that to him. Even though I kept thinking about all of the embarrassment I would suffer when I went back to the past; what the voice in my dream had said kept digging itself deeper into my mind. It was as if it was making itself at home. The more I tried to forget that dream the more I could feel it in the back of my mind.

It was a dark, unpleasant feeling. The feeling you get when something is wrong and your chest and stomach clench uncomfortably. It almost makes me sick, that feeling.

"Kagome?" my mom called to me as she looked at me with my face on the table.

"I'm going to go up to my room, would you let me know when dinner is done" I asked as I put on a fake smile for my mom. I didn't want her to worry, I didn't want anyone to worry.

I walked upstairs to my room and closed the door behind me. My bed creaked as I plopped down on it for the first time in a long time without any intention of sleeping. It was time for me to think about everything I know so far. My grandfather was a Divine Demon named Akihiro and my father was a hanyou named Rinne; they both died protecting me, at least I know that my father did. Akihiro was probably the one who trained Midoriko and enhanced her power according to the bedtime story my father used to tell me before he died in an accident. Midoriko was also the one who had made the jewel, which was at the same time that all of the Divine Demons and Shadow Walkers had disappeared. Her final resting place was at the demon slayer village, that Naraku destroyed and left Sango as the sole survivor. The jewel managed to find its way to the priestess Kikyo around fifty years ago in the past. When Naraku set up a betrayal between Kikyo and Inuyasha the jewel had been burned with Kikyo's body and Inuyasha was pinned to the sacred tree. I was born sometime after that with the jewel still in my body and was sent to this time for my own protection. When I turned 18 the well opened up and brought me back to the past and I unsealed Inuyasha from his sleep. Since then I have learned that Akihiro had bound my own powers with his own to keep them from surfacing, though the seals have been cracking and will eventually break. My powers are that of purification, but they are incredibly dangerous if I am not careful how I use them. Akihiro's power is different from mine in a way that it is hard for me to use properly, which is why the dagger doesn't react well.

"_You are Destruction"_ the voice echoed through my mind and the painful sensation returned to me as I thought more about the few times I had felt my own power compared to my grandfather's. His was meant for deception and healing, but mine was far more offensive. It was wild and untamable as it had flowed through my body and overwhelmed me. My power scared me because I am not sure I like what I am turning into, or rather going back to.

_"__You are Destruction"_ the voice echoed again as if to gain some sort of last laugh at my confusion and pain. The worst part was that it wasn't some stranger's malicious voice I heard in my head, but it sounded like my own. I could feel it being whispered from a dark part of me, a part of me that I always try to ignore. It wasn't my demon that was saying these things, but something far more sinister and not something I ever wanted to meet.

Inside of Kagome's mind:

"You never should have given her that nightmare" the demon pestered as she kept her back to the chained door that was barely open a crack. From behind the chains and heavy wood of the door a voice ventured forth into the dark dungeon both were kept in.

"Oh, and you wish for me to stay silent when my prey was within the grasp of my claws?" the sinister voice cackled and bounced off of the unseen walls of their prison. The demon couldn't believe that this _thing_ had managed to gain control of their body for even a moment. Even if that moment had saved them from their enemy.

"It is unwise to upset her now, especially with lies played out into a dream" the demon scorned at what was behind the door.

"And it is wise to let a parasite roam free in her mind, while we are locked up like animals?" it snickered as if in amusement from their situation.

"Deysi will not last here. Her days are numbered" the demon said in as calm a tone she could muster. Her days had been mostly quiet, but for the past few days the quiet was filled with cackles and scorns from the resident that dwelled behind the door.

"Yes… though I wonder how long Kagome will survive without withering away to darkness of her past and her heart? Hm?" It sounded amused as it beat up against the walls of its prison and the heavy chains that encircled the door shuttered and clanged together in an ugly metal cacophony.

"You know as well as I do that so long as she has someone to guide her back to the light she will never fall" the demon replied with confidence in her voice as her aqua eyes scanned the dark confines of her prison.

From the miniscule crack of the open door an aqua eye surrounded by pitch blackness skittered from view just as quickly as it had appeared. "Yes, but with light there is always darkness" the voice said from behind the door with finality. It wasn't a warning, but a promise it intended to keep.

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A/N: so... yeah that happened.

Anyways we will be heading back to the Feudal Era in the next chapter and a new arc will begin.

Thank you for reading!


	125. Chapter 123: Small Victory

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 123: Small Victory

After dinner I went back to my room and tried to read a book to keep my mind from drifting to unpleasant thoughts. Though no matter how hard I tried to lose myself in the pages of some unknown person's story my thoughts drifted back to my dream and just how different my powers are from Akihiro's. From the small experiences I had with my powers I felt like they could consume everything that they touched, no matter what it may be.

That thought scared, terrified me to no end that my power was made to destroy and consume anything in its path. With every time I use the power Akihiro lent me a little more of it is consumed and the bonds holding my powers and true self back are worn down. The first seal is close to breaking and after it a chain reaction will start in which I will no longer be able to go back.

I sighed as I lifted my eyes from the pages of the book I wasn't even reading to look at the pendant that always hung from my neck. There were more cracks marring its once flawless surface. The cracks joined and feathered out like some macabre web running throughout the crystal.

Instead of trying unsuccessfully to immerse myself in a book once again, I decided to put my earbuds in and listen to music while trying to figure out how I am supposed to fight with a broken arm. I pressed play and I had to laugh at what song started to play when I pressed shuffle. I listened as the chorus of 'Don't Let Me Get Me' blared through the small devices jammed into my ears.

"'Cause I'm a hazard to myself! Don't let me get me!" I sang halfheartedly to myself as the song continued. It would be great if I wasn't who I am because then I wouldn't be in this mess. I wouldn't have to go to the past and worry about fighting demons and finding a stupid jewel. I would be able to look for a good job, apartment and then meet some guy who I would want to spend the rest of my life with. I would work and so would he and we would have our two kids and be happy. Kara would have little versions of herself running around and playing with my kids, while Aya and Tora's kids were waiting in ambush. Jak would be married or have a life partner, which ever they decided and we would all meet up to catch up on what the others were doing. I would sell my art and everything would be beautiful. I also would be my mother's daughter and not some quarter demon from five hundred years in the past… I would never meet Inuyasha and we never would have saved Shippo. I never would have met Sango or Miroku.

I stared at my ceiling as those uncomfortable feelings for the people I met in the past came back. Even if I could seal the well and never go back to the past I would always miss them and worry. Even if my friends and I made play dates for our children I would wonder if Shippo would have liked to be there or where he was. I would wonder if Miroku managed to get rid of his wind tunnel and if Sango found the peace she was looking for. Then there would be Inuyasha. I would worry if he was safe or if he had found someone else to protect in my stead. Anyone I would meet I would probably compare to him and all of his outrageous quirks.

I would never seal the well or want it sealed. Though if the choice presents itself I would choose to stay in the present, even though I would miss everyone immensely from the past. I know that I belong here in the present even though I was born in the past. I'm not strong enough to live there with all of the pain and death that occurs on a daily basis.

I laughed at myself and covered my eyes. Even if I didn't want it to the past was never going to go away and the path that I chose had forever led me away from a peaceful mundane existence. I had made that very choice for myself when I purified Naraku from my body. At that moment I decided to see where the darkened road with no visible end would lead. I had chosen the path of the Miko, there was no going back. I can either fight the choice I made or I could embrace it and learn.

I sat up and stared at my broken arm in its sling. I couldn't protect myself or those I hold dear if it stays broken. My thoughts about my power from earlier came back to me and I called forth some of the power that once belonged to Akihiro and then I called up my own wild power. As I concentrated on my other hand I could feel the two powers warring together before I was able win and get the two of them to cooperate and meld together. I raised my now glowing hand to meet my arm where it was broken and willed the power to do what I wanted it to do. Akihiro's power doesn't listen to me entirely, but it has a healing aspect to it, which I need. I used my power to ensure that the borrowed power would do what I wanted it to.

I sucked in a sharp breath from the pang of pain raced through my arm as I felt tissue melding together and the bone becoming one piece once again. When I removed my hand from my arm there were no bruises left and my arm was no longer broken. Though as I had expected the clashing powers rejected me and left burn marks behind in their wake. Though they were only the degree of a bad sunburn instead of blistering and charred flesh.

I smiled to myself at the small victory and went to the bathroom to grab the bottle of aloe. Judging from this burn my power was beginning to accept me, which would mean that I will be able to control it. If I am able to control it then I won't become a destroying force, but I will become a force that will enforce peace. A small victory indeed.

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A/N: I am going to apologize in advance because I will not be able to update chapters very fast because I will be focusing on school and the fact that I am still working while in school. Though I will still be updating, they will just be really spaced out.


	126. Chapter 124: Incarnation

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Sorry about not updating I have been busy with work and school.

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Chapter 124: Incarnation

The next day I left before Inuyasha decided to come through the well and drag me back to the past himself. When arrived back in the past everyone was surprised; not only because I was early, but because my arm was healed. I didn't think that one through very well. Oh well.

Somehow I managed to convince everyone that my time had special techniques to heal bones in a small amount of time, the only one I wasn't able to convince was Inuyasha. He could probably smell me lying to everyone as I tried to cover my tracks and not alert Miroku and Sango to the fact that I am part Divine Demon. I caught him staring at me with narrowed eyes and crossed arms from the corner of my eye. He looks far less menacing than he thinks and that fact is part of what makes him cute.

"Sango, I have a favor to ask you that you are not going to like" I said as we were walking down the road away from Kaede's village. Much to Inuyasha's annoyance I couldn't sense any jewel shards nearby so we have to go village to village in order to find any clues that will lead us to the jewel shards.

"What is it Kagome?" Sango asked with slight apprehension lining her voice.

"I know it's selfish" I started as I steeled myself for what I was about to ask Sango. "But we need to go to the demon slayer's village" I said with sympathy as well as determination filling my eyes. Sango's village could hold some clues to the jewel as well as to myself. If I am to protect my friends then I have to know more about myself in order to control my power.

"Why?" Sango asked in a meek voice that did little to hide her fear and sadness at having to go back to such a place.

Just as Miroku was about to interject his opinion I answered her question. "Your village was the birth place of the Shikon No Tama. It may hold clues as to how to destroy it and maybe even clues on how to kill Naraku." I replied truthfully, but the fact still remains that Sango's village is the only link I have to my ancestors except for my dagger and three seals.

"Sango, we do not need to go back there. There are other ways to achieve such information" Miroku tried to dissuade Sango from leading us to the village in order to protect her. Though he did glance back at me and gave me the glare of the century.

"Kagome is right" Sango said with pain hidden in her voice. Her expression made my heart clench painfully and I forced my mouth to stay shut so that I wouldn't take back what I had just asked of my friend.

"Keh! Let's get moving. Which way demon slayer?" Inuyasha asked bluntly and I just glared at him for being so inconsiderate about Sango. Though at his comment he was automatically made the bad guy in this conversation and completely dispersed the troubled atmosphere that had been growing.

We traveled down the road; Sango, Miroku and Shippo rode Kirara while I was stuck on Inuyasha's back. "I don't understand why I have to ride your back" I grumbled to Inuyasha just so that I could let him know that I wasn't happy with the current situation.

"Wench. If you run as fast as me then by all means try" he replied to me and I didn't even have to see the smirk on his face, I could hear it in his voice. "Then again if you can run as fast as a hanyou yer not human."

"I hate this" I said into his shoulder as I held onto the robe of the fire rat. I wish that being what I am wouldn't get me killed by just about everyone I met.

"I bet you do" Inuyasha replied smugly and I jerked on his hair. "Ow!"

"You deserved it" I said in an incredibly childish manner. "Are the villages really this far apart?" I asked because we hadn't seen one since we left Kaede's village. I never realized how far apart humans live in this era and how separated everyone is.

"Yeah, it's always been like this. Sometimes there's small farm villages between the larger ones run by the Lords, but for the most part this is normal" He replied with agitation in his voice, he wasn't happy about me pulling his hair.

"In my time it's different. Everything is connected and anyone can reach who they want to reach in a few seconds. It's strange to me how different this time is" I muttered as I looked ahead and only saw the road and trees that surrounded us.

"Keh, your time is the strange one. I hate all of the nasty smells and loud noises of that place" Inuyasha recounted with disgust in his voice.

"Heh, I guess we both differ in almost all of our opinions besides Naraku" I said jokingly, but it wasn't very far from the truth at all.

"Wench, I don't care about what you think so long as I get the jewel and Naraku dies. That's it" he curtly declared to me. Well that was the end of a conversation. I didn't feel like getting into this discussion because it would in yelling and Inuyasha in a hole. So instead I sighed and resigned myself to silence for the rest of the trip, or at least until we rest.

"Kagome, I see a village up ahead" Sango shouted from up above us and pointed a little farther in the distance. Just as Inuyasha jumped I could see small huts that made up the small community. As soon as we could see it from the road a chill ran up my spine. It felt like someone was watching me or rather leering at me. Though the problem was that I couldn't sense anyone besides those who are in our small group and none of them would have given me that feeling.

The feeling of being watched wasn't the only strange thing; once we arrived at the village there was a woman wandering down the streets trying to get the attention of the villagers. Every time she approached someone they backed away or turned their back to her in an effort not to gain her attentions. When she layed her eyes on us instead of running away she ran up to us, or rather Sango, and pleaded with her.

"Please! Please help my village!" she desperately cried as she gripped Sango's kimono.

"What is wrong with your village?" Sango asked as she detached herself from the woman and tried to calm her.

"The demon… the demon took everyone…" she stuttered and fell to the ground in a trembling heap. "Please save my son" she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"A demon?" Miroku asked intrigued and she explained how her entire village had been possessed and is held captive for the demon's enjoyment. I was only partly listening to her story because my ears were burning with the things the villagers were saying about her and her 'cursed' village. They were saying things like 'we shouldn't go near her' and 'she is cursed, I hope she quickly returns to that village'. I was clenching my teeth at the sheer lack of empathy that seemed to fill the villagers around me. It is because of this thinking that so many horrible things happen in the world and nothing changes.

"C'mon wench. We're going huntin'" Inuyasha declared to me and brought me out of my dark musings. We headed to the next village without delay because chances are there is something related to Naraku there. Out of the corner of my I saw a glistening thread floating through the wind that was no wider than spider's silk.

Out of sight and out of reach a demon with magenta eyes and blood red lips chuckled to herself at the fact that her targets were wandering into a trap. She twitched her fingers to control the threads that were attached to them and brought her 'puppet' back to her. The woman who had been wandering around the village appeared beneath the tree where she sat. "My, my you proved to be useful after all, even if your hair is disgusting" she scorned with a shrill voice. At the flick of her pinky finger the strings that surrounded the woman wound around her neck and separated her head from her body. The demon's mouth curled up in a sickening smile at the cleanness of the decapitation as the woman's headless body layed on the ground.

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A/N: I'll give you a hint as to who the new antagonist in the story is (hair).

As always thank you so much for reading!


	127. Chapter 125: Yura of the Hair

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

So I have a few things. I have this song "What's Going On" by 4 non blonds in my head and I also have a question to sate my ever present curiosity. How many of you all who a reading this are/were in band/choir/orchestra or a mixture? This is pure curiosity at this point. I was in band and marching band in high school. :)

Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter 125: Yura of the Hair

Every step we took towards the rumored village made my anxiousness grow. I felt like we were walking into a carefully laid trap made specifically for us. Not the most pleasant of feelings, mind you. Every once and a while I would see the same type of glistening thread blowing in the wind in the trees that lined the path we took to get to the village. By the time we were at the edge of the village every one of my instincts were screaming for me to run from this place. "Do you feel that?" I asked aloud as I slowed down my steps to listen to my screaming instincts. I had to physically stop myself from turning around and leaving.

"If by _that_, you mean the youki in the air and this ominous feeling; then yes, Lady Kagome, I do" Miroku said as he clutched his staff harder in his hand.

"Keh. I say bring it on! Naraku's here somewhere, I can smell him. When I find him I'll slice his damn head off" Inuyasha smirked and took out his Tetsaiga to get ready to fight. It disturbed me slightly at his incredible eagerness to fight and jump into battle, though mostly it gave me the sarcastic feeling of 'not again'.

A rustling from behind a nearby hut drew our attention and startled Shippo enough for him to emit a shriek of fear. Out from behind the hut peeked out a small girl who could have been no older than six years old. "It's a child" Sango breathed and sighed in relief. She released her hand from the strap of her Hiraikotsu and approached the child.

There was something wrong. I could feel it in the air and hear it in quietness of the village. It felt like someone was grinning smugly at us for doing exactly what they expected us to do. As I was frantically trying to calm my nerves and figure out what was wrong I saw another spider's thread from the corner of my eye. I turned my attention from Sango to the gossamer thread harmlessly moving in the wind until it snapped tight. As I watched it instantly tighten I saw exactly what was wrong, there was a web of tightened threads all around us. I looked to the points where the most were gathered all about the village. Then my eyes went to where the child was who was starting to walk to Sango; the child was wrapped in threads like a puppet.

"Sango don't touch the child!" I screamed and ran forward while drawing my dagger in haste. I saw Sango look towards me in a questioning manner before I managed to push her away from the child turned puppet. "Can't you see the threads?" I questioned her and she looked at me as if I was crazy.

"What the hell Kagome?" Inuyasha said as he walked towards us with his ears pinned to his head. The child with the thread wrapped around her had started to cry in a most innocent manner.

"You can't see them?!" I asked as more and more thread surrounded us with every step that each of us took into the village. Once everyone was gathered around where Sango and I were I thrust my dagger into the ground and surrounded us in a barrier of translucent blue light. When the barrier went up there was a burning noise and the scent of burnt hair filled the space where we were behind the barrier.

"What the hell is that smell?!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he clamped his hand over his nose.

"Eww! It smells like when my hair caught fire!" Shippo said and in any other situation I would have laughed at the irony of that statement, but now I was focusing on keeping up the barrier. The thread, or rather hair, was probing my barrier for weaknesses as it slithered on the outside of the barrier.

"Lady Kagome, is that what you had seen?" Miroku asked as he readied his right hand by starting to remove the prayer beads from his right hand. Miroku had informed us of his wind tunnel, but I had never seen it used before. Miroku's eyes followed the larger groups of hair that were slithering against the barrier; it seemed that only people with purification powers could see them. Since my powers were far above that of a normal miko I could see every single hair that wriggled and writhed.

"Yeah. They were attached to that child like strings on a puppet" I said without taking my eyes from the multitude of hair that was slithering through the village like snakes on the ground.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sango walk over to the child who was lying motionless on the ground at a distance from where we were. Before Sango spoke I heard her suck in a breath, "She's dead." Sango whispered in shock. The little girl we had thought was alive was in fact no longer part of this world.

"Oh my, how terribly sad" chuckled a shrill voice from beyond my barrier. The hair that had been writhing all around us stopped and retreated back to reveal a female demon. The demon approached us and poked my barrier with one of her red painted claws on her pale hand. She wore her hair short, which was incredibly unusual, and her eyes were a dark shade of magenta as were her lips. Her frame was petite, but had more curves than her clothes knew what to do with. Her kimono was split on both sides of her thighs to reveal the pale skin to the outside world and where the fabric met over her chest the v plunged deeply to show how well-endowed she was. I didn't even have to see Miroku to know he was probably drooling. The kimono she wore was black with a dark gold obi decorated with red designs across its surface. A deep red rope tied around her slim waist held her short sword to her exposed hip. Who Inuyasha thought was Naraku is most definitely not Naraku.

"Who are you?" I gritted out from clenched teeth. It was starting to get hard to keep my barrier stable and I have no idea how to make it smaller or keep it up without continuously using energy to do so.

"My, my, my you do have poor manners. You should know to introduce yourself first, before you ask for the name of someone above you" she hissed and turned her magenta eyes to bore into mine with a hateful glare.

"Keh, tell us how you are connected to Naraku so we can kill you!" Inuyasha yelled at her and pointed his sword in her direction. At least he was able to see her, though the hair was the main problem.

"Dogs should be quiet when you're owner is speaking" she hissed and the hair behind her twitched agitatedly in response to her own anger.

"Who the hell are you calling a dog?!" Inuyasha growled at her due to the insult, though I'm pretty sure growling only solidified what she had said.

"You of course. I will ensure that your death is swift so that I can make good use of that pretty silver hair of yours" she said almost dreamily as she eyed Inuyasha.

"Hey, bitch" I ground out in anger. I wasn't going to let anyone kill anyone and I didn't like the way she was ogling Inuyasha. Her entire being irritated me to no end. She glared at me, promising a slow and horrible death for what I had just called her. "If you don't want me to keep calling you that then tell us who the hell you are" I said and tried to keep my hands from shaking as I kept my sword in the ground to keep the barrier up. I was running out of time.

"I will grant you this since your fate will be far worse than the rest of your friends. What Naraku sees in you, I will never understand. I am Yura of the Hair and I am here to kill every one of you and bring this ill-mannered _wench_ back with me. So, now that introductions are out of the way; I say we begin the execution" Yura hissed venomously as the ground beneath us started to shake and crumble. It only took a moment to figure out what had happened. My barrier didn't extend to the ground beneath our feet.

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A/N: okay so instead of Naraku's original incarnations I chose to make Yura one instead. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far and I hope to get the next chapter up within the next couple of weeks.

And as always, thank you for reading! :)


	128. Chapter 126: Kazaana

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 126: Kazaana

I was kneeling on the ground within Miroku's barrier gasping for breath after Inuyasha had grabbed me and yanked me from where I was a moment ago when the ground gave way from beneath our feet. "Remind me at a later time, Lady Kagome, to teach you how to form a barrier without depleting all of your energy" Miroku said from in front of me as he finished placing sutra's on the ground to form a deterrent against a similar attack of what happened before.

"Remind me to take you up on that offer" I said in between deep breaths of air to try and bring my body back to some semblance of what it was before we encountered Yura.

"Keh, you shouldn't have done that shit from the start, wench" Inuyasha said in annoyance at my current state of weakness. If he wanted to create a barrier and save everyone's asses instead of me the he could be my guest. I hate feeling like this; not to mention the fact that I could feel burns on my hands where I held my dagger and my mouth tasted heavily of iron.

"Listen dog boy. If you want to create a barrier then be my guest, but if you can't then shut up" I snapped back at him before I looked around the barrier. Shippo was with Kirara, Inuyasha had his hand ready to draw his Tetsaiga at any moment and Miroku was incredibly tense. Though behind Miroku's barrier there was no Sango. "Where's Sango?" I asked apprehensively because I could already tell this was not going to be an answer that I liked. I saw Miroku's figure tense up even more if that was possible before he ground out his answer.

"Out there with that demon."

I looked beyond Miroku's barrier to see Sango standing below where the demon was seemingly floating in the air. Though she was simply smiling at us as she was perched on a tightrope of hair. I could feel my blood start to boil as I saw the hairs attached to Sango's body like strings on a puppet. "Miroku" I said as I kept my eyes on Yura and gathered my strength and power for what I was about to do. "When Sango is clear, take out the hair and Inuyasha kill Yura" I said as I tensed my muscles to launch myself through the barrier.

Before I could put my plan into action Inuyasha grabbed shoulder and pushed me behind him in an effort to stop me from doing anything. "Wench you are in no shape to fight. So sit back and enjoy the show" Inuyasha demanded and I could see the worry for not only myself, but the rest of us as well. Since our group grew he has to look after more of us 'weaklings'.

"Like I said a while ago, I'm not one to sit back and be protected. I'm going to fight beside you" I said defiantly and stood up. Shakily, but I did stand up.

"Lady Kagome, I would be greatly appreciative if you would inform us of your plan. It is becoming difficult to hold this barrier over such a large area" Miroku said and his voice sounded slightly strained. I could tell that the barrier was nearly at its limit, but Miroku would still be able to fight after it went down.

"We need to get Sango away from the demon before we can do anything else. After that use your power or wind tunnel to take care of the surrounding hair to clear a path. Once the path is cleared away Inuyasha can kill the demon and Sango will be saved. That's the plan" I said in a hushed tone that led to silence beneath the barrier that was erected.

"Well, I do believe that we have a p-", Miroku started, but was cut short when he frantically moved out of the way of an object flying towards us. Inuyasha quickly grabbed me and Kirara flew off with Shippo carried by her jaws. When I made contact with the ground again I saw that the object was Sango's weapon, hiraikotsu, and it had made its way back into the hands of its owner.

Yura had grown tired of waiting for us to recollect ourselves and decided to attack. I saw Sango lining up her next throw with the direction Miroku was and I didn't even think of what I had to do next. First I broke free of Inuyasha's hold on me and I took the bow off my back and drew and arrow. I had released the arrow before I even knew I had it in my hand. It hit its mark of the hair beneath where Yura stood and gained me the attention I wanted. "Come and get me you ugly bitch" I sneered and ran straight for her.

Before I went to battle with Yura, Sango stopped me with her weapon. I internally smirked as my new plan started to work. As the hiraikotsu flew my way once again I dodged it, thanking my mom for all of those gymnastics classes and having me learn how to fight. As I dodged attack after attack I managed to lure Sango away from Yura to give Miroku a chance to take care of her once and for all. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that both Inuyasha and Miroku were tied up battling the hair that had decided to occupy their time.

"Kagome!" I heard Inuyasha shout out looking for a response. I could tell that he was not at all happy with me breaking away from him and going off on my own. I would probably get a lecture later.

"Yeah!" I yelled back between gasping breaths. It would be great if he would come and rescue me because I may not have a later since I could feel my energy draining with every movement I made. As I was trying to gain back some of the momentum I had lost I didn't see Sango launch another attack at me. Just before hiraikotsu made contact with my body I took my dagger from its sheath. I felt power and adrenaline flow through my veins as my dagger met with Sango's weapon. The shock of the two weapon's meeting sent the hiraikotsu flying away from its master and myself knocked backwards. I felt the hard ground beneath myself as I hit it, hard. I regained my bearings in enough time to see Sango coming at me with blank eyes and a sword in her hand, ready to strike me down. I closed my eyes and held my arms up to cover my head; not that they would provide much cover from a sword.

To my pleasant surprise I didn't feel the biting pain of metal working its way through my flesh, but instead I opened my eyes to see Inuyasha standing over me with his sword blocking Sango's. "Damn it wench, this is why I said to keep out of this fight" Inuyasha growled at me as he pushed Sango back.

"I'm afraid that Inuyasha is correct. It is unwise for us to split up as you had done earlier" Miroku scolded me as he covered my back and Inuyasha covered my front.

"Well then what do you purpose?" I asked as I stood once more and charged my dagger with my own energy.

"We need the slayer to stop attacking us" Inuyasha grunted as he kept Sango at bay without hurting her or himself.

"I may have a solution for that problem" Miroku said as he undid the beads on his hand and then dashed out into the open away from our small group. "Kazaana!" Miroku yelled and a gust of strong wind took everything and sucked towards his palm.

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Well, I managed to get this up faster than I thought I would.

Thank you as always for reading!


	129. Chapter 127: Scream

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

So I started to reread this story from the beginning and I forgot a lot of what I wrote. Well hopefully I will tie up all of the loose ends by the end of this really long story. :)

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Chapter 127: Scream

After Miroku opened his wind tunnel everything sped up and went into overdrive. Large demonic insects came out of the forest and flew into Miroku's wind tunnel and Sango seemed to regain some of her control, which allowed Inuyasha to unleash the power of his tetsaiga against Yura. Though all of it was a trick. The insects that flew into Miroku's hand were poison and Inuyasha had let his guard down enough to allow Sango to attack him and land a blow. Miroku was hunched over in agony as I screamed to Shippo and Kirara to get him my antidote. I felt blood return to my limbs as I tried to run where Inuyasha was. Sango had pierced him in the stomach with her sword before retracting out of the way of his claws. Yura decided to aid her 'puppet' and tried to capture Inuyasha and torture him in the process. Everything and everyone was being taken away from me before my eyes and there was nothing I was doing about it except screaming and running. I was useless like this. If I didn't change and become stronger I would weigh everyone down, or worse.

I heard Inuyasha yell my name and tell me to stay back, but I could only feel the blood pulsing from within me and my power being called to the surface once more. I could feel more than see when Yura tried to attack me with hair and I slashed it without even a second thought. If I had even the remote want to look at Miroku's face I would have seen horror and amazement swirling in their depths. Yet, I had only one person on my mind and I refuse to allow him to die so long as I am still breathing.

I felt my scorching power boil to the surface with a searing pain as I called on more than I had ever called. My veins burned with every heart beat and scorch marks made their way up my arms from my fingertips until I felt it explode from my back where my shoulder blades where beneath my tightly stretched skin. I willed myself to get closer and closer before it was too late to do anything.

A wall of hair swelled in front of me and I forced my dagger to transform into a sword to cut through it. When I arrived on the other side I saw Sango standing alone with hairs around her neck threatening to sever it amongst the damage that Inuyasha's move had made. Then there was Inuyasha who was not in very good shape at all. He was bleeding profusely from his stomach and other lacerations from the hair that surrounded him like a cage. I could tell that many of them were actually piercing his body and pinning it to where it was. The thought of the pain that Yura is causing him and my friends made my power surge in eagerness to be used and my vision became like it had only once before in my life. I saw everything.

Every color and energy that surrounded us in the village I could see. This time I wouldn't allow Naraku to possess me. No this time I would have the upper hand and he would pay for tricking us and causing so much pain.

"My, my, my, Naraku did say that you were a strong one, but I never would have expected this" she gestured to me as she glared cautiously at me as I stood before her with my power raging around me. "You and this lovely dog are truly a pair to contend with. Especially with your power and his sword. Yet, you were still no match for me" she said in a sing song voice and I gritted my teeth at what I would have to do next.

"What do you want you bitch?" I seethed as my anger only fueled the power that boiling inside of my veins.

"If you move, I will kill them" she gestured to Inuyasha and Sango.

"Dammit Kagome! Get out of here!" Inuyasha yelled at me and thrashed around enough to get a foot hold and swing his sword at Yura. It proved to be a fruitless effort because the thing he slashed trough was simply a doll made of hair. Then Yura appeared behind him and impaled him on her short sword before twisting it for good measure.

"Stop" I yelled at her and gained her attention. "I'll do anything you say so long as you don't harm them or the villagers who are still within this village" I said and dropped my sword from my hands. The sound of metal hitting the ground was one of the few sounds in the village as each of us wondered what was going to happen next.

"Well aren't you a brave soul" she sneered and moved her fingers to wrap hair around Inuyasha more securely than before. "If you disobey me, I will burn them alive" she said with an evil smirk on her face as fire surrounded them and myself from the hair she had laid on the ground. "Well then, let's begin" she cackled with bloodlust competing violently with obedience to her mission at hand.

Without warning a burning stake made of her demonic hair pierced my leg just above the knee and tethered me to the ground as it burned a hole through my muscle and tissue. I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming out in agony. As I began to cope with the burning in both my blood and my leg I was whipped across my back with the same burning hair that surrounded us. I felt hot tears run down my face at the pain I was feeling in that moment.

"Scream. It is no fun if you don't scream" Yura scowled at me as she continued her torture of impaling limbs and slashing my flesh with a whip made of fire and razor sharp hairs. I glared at her as tears streamed down my face from what was happening to me and my friends and how powerless I was to stop it. I felt physical pain, but I also felt the pain of my friends who were suffering beside me. I refused to look at Inuyasha's face because I knew he was screaming at me and I could feel his anger and sorrow that he couldn't protect me this time.

"I'm getting bored." Yura stated as she stopped her horrible ministrations against myself and the other's in our group. "Naraku said that he simply needed you alive, not broken" she gleamed and moved her fingers quickly as she manipulated many strings at once. It took all of my will power and fading power to keep myself standing and awake to see what she was planning. Before my eyes she brought the entire population of the village.

"Yura! You promised!" I screamed out in agony at what I knew she was about to do.

She simply smiled her maniacal smile and said in a venomous voice, "You should have screamed earlier."

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A/N: yes I am leaving you with that. Also I need Inuyasha to get wounded every once in a while. Even though I didn't focus on his wounds in this chapter, trust me they are really bad.

Anyways, thank you for reading!


	130. Chapter 128: Mercy

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Happy Halloween everyone! :)

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Chapter 128: Mercy

Before I could react and sever the hair between Yura and the villagers Yura had surrounded me with them. I felt the warmth of the blood from the dozens of people that Yura had killed in front of me before I truly saw it. The pain I had felt before was nothing next to the hopelessness and despair that consumed my being. The power that had repressed itself to some degree coursed angrily through my body as it worked on making me numb to everything.

Inuyasha's POV:

If I wasn't impaled and tied to the ground then I would have saved Kagome, but now while I struggle to get free she is fighting alone in a battle that should have been over long ago. I watched in horror as her power enveloped her and seemed to consume her entire blood soaked being. The power arced off of her skin and seem to make her eyes glow an eerie blue green that showed absolutely no mercy. The blood that covered her turned to a sickening steam that covered her in a red haze. I had never seen her like this before, not even when she was possessed in the cave; before I could tell that there was some semblance of who she was. This time, this time she only wanted to kill Yura, no she wanted to do worse than that.

I always knew that I would have to protect Kagome from others like Naraku, but I never imagined that I would have to protect her from herself.

I gasped as Yura forcefully pulled her short sword from my midsection and licked some of the blood off of it. "Sorry, puppy. I'll play with you later" she gleamed and walked over to Kagome's unmoving body. Even as Yura circled her she didn't even move her eyes away from where they were directed. I followed her line of sight and saw a pair of children lying in a pool of their own blood at her feet.

When I looked back to Kagome I saw Yura swing her sword to inflict a wound on Kagome, but before I managed to warn her it was too late. Her sword made contact with Kagome, but my fears only grew with what I saw. Even after being injured severely and after what happened to the villagers she had turned so fast that I hadn't even seen her move. The only reason I knew she had moved was the fact that she was now holding Yura's sword at bay with the palm of her hand.

"Yura" I heard Kagome hiss while her hand slowly enclosed the sword's blade in her hand and let her power flow into it and it turned to dust. "I will do far more than simply make you scream" Kagome spat and Yura gained a horrified look upon her face before trying to get away from Kagome.

Kagome grabbed the nearest group of hair and released power into its being. Electric and deadly purifying power flowed through the hair directly to Yura and then back out to the rest of the connected hair. I heard Sango scream in agony before I felt what she must have felt just moments before. The searing purifying energy that burned the hair from me and also from Sango. We would have burns after this, but I knew that they would be nothing compared to the burns that Kagome would have to deal with after this battle.

The sound of Yura crying out in agony brought my attention back to the continually raging battle and away from the pain wracking my entire being. One of Yura's arms were missing and instead of blood dripping on the ground there was smoke rising to the sky. Then out of desperation Yura engulfed Kagome with the same flames that had surrounded us before. "Hahaha! You couldn't survive that, even if you have the devil's luck!" Yura cackled hysterically and clutched what was left of her arm with care. Though the flames didn't burn Kagome in fact they seemed to dissipate and be absorbed by her to feed the ever amassing power. One form of energy turned into another.

Out of nowhere Kagome conjured her sword and skewered Yura as she tried to escape. "Now. I want you to send a message" Kagome asserted as she slowly twisted the curved sword that impaled Yura. "If Naraku wants me so bad then have him come here himself. I don't play games." After Kagome said this she held her hand up to Yura's face and blasted her with enough energy to send her flying off of her glowing sword and into one of the deceased villager's houses. After that Yura disappeared and Kagome sank to the ground out of exhaustion and pain.

I grabbed my sword from nearby and made my way to where Kagome lay on the ground. To my surprise all of her major wounds inflicted from when Yura tortured her were mostly healed, but what had me worried were the innumerous amount of burn marks on her skin. I had to get everyone to a body of water so that we can rest and so that I can wash the blood off of Kagome to see the extent of all the damage she caused herself.

From behind me I heard the jingle of the monk's staff and turned to see the dark look on his face and sutra's in his hand. "You have much explaining to do as to why Lady Kagome has Divine Demon blood coursing through her veins" he rumbled and placed himself between me and Sango who was laying on the ground unconscious not too far away.

"There is no way in hell that I am going to let you kill her" I growled defensively and stood up to face the monk. "She's just a girl" I growled at him once more. It was like déjà vu from when I tried to get Sesshoumaru to leave her alone in the other world.

"I don't intend to kill her. I intend to help her" he said and glared at me as he readied himself for battle. "I will not let you harm her Inuyasha" the monk ground out as he took a step forward.

"What?!" I shouted at him. He wasn't referring to Sango, but Kagome. "I would never hurt her" I growled dangerously at him for even implying that I would hurt someone I cared about. I would never hurt Kagome!

"If not for stealing her power and eating her then what use do you have for her" he yelled back at me and pointed his staff at Kagome who was still unconscious on the ground.

"She's my friend I would never kill her or harm her" I growled and it was the last straw. I jumped before Miroku could react and punched him square in the jaw to knock some sense into him. "Now you listen to me monk. If you ever think about harming or taking Kagome I will rip your throat out!"

"Well" the monk said as he gingerly rubbed his face where my fist had made contact with his face. "Then you have absolutely no ulterior motives and decided that it was out of goodness of your heart that you would befriend one of the most sacred and dangerous beings in existence on this realm?" the monk ground out and held my glare with one of his own.

"My intentions have nothing to with how I care about Kagome" I growled one last time and then took a step away from the monk. As I sheathed my sword I knelt down next to Kagome and lifted her up into my arms. It scared me how warm her skin was to the touch, but I needed the monk to focus on someone else other than Kagome. "Go and get the slayer. She will need help" I ordered and headed over to where Kagome's things were and where Kirara had Shippo.

"Wah! Kagome!" the runt screeched at the top of his lungs and launched himself at me.

"Don't worry runt. She'll be fine" I said and lightly swatted the pest off of my shoulder. I didn't need more weight on me than Kagome provided. Though what surprised me was the fact that Kirara turned into her larger form and stood in front of me, preventing me from going any further.

"Kirara will take the girls, supplies and Shippo to a safe location then come back and get us" the monk said from behind me as he was trying to lug Sango and her charred weapon over to where I stood.

"Why the hell should I answer this cat?" I asked with exhaustion and annoyance in my voice. With my wounds I wouldn't be able to make it far anyway.

"Because Kirara probably served under a Divine Demon when they were still present on this plane. Her kind was one of the few who weren't wiped out of their race" Miroku informed me as he hoisted Sango onto Kirara's back. "We don't have time to argue. We all need to get out of here before any more of Naraku's underlings make an appearance."

"I'll carry Kagome. You go on ahead" I argued against what he told me to do. I wasn't one to take orders from anyone.

"You can barely stand and it took everything in me to drag Sango here and place her on Kirara's back" Miroku said to me and I saw how white his hand was just from grasping the staff to keep himself upright. So I made the decision to part ways with Kagome for just a little while.

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A/N: Yes now Miroku knows about Kagome. Yes Kirara is a type of divine demon or shadow walker. And finally I am getting closer to writing about the breaking of the first seal on Kagome.


	131. Chapter 129: Mending

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

To answer a review that I received; no I will not be doing the movies, but I may incorporate characters or objects from them later on in the story.

Also I need to make amends to the name of Kagome's mother, I used the name Himiko, but after doing some research on the characters from the original series I realized I had used the wrong name. The real name of Kagome's mother is Hitomiko, not Himiko. Sorry!

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Chapter 129: Mending

Kirara came back to get us and then Miroku and I were left with the question of how we were going to dress the two girls' wounds. Well I was worried, but the monk decided to give into temptation and I had to punch him across the face again.

"Monk", I warned him, "bandage me up first while the runt checks the slayer and wench."

The Monk reluctantly listened to me and grabbed some of the bandages Kagome kept in her bag. I sat down between the monk and where we had laid Kagome and removed my haori and kosode to allow the monk access to my wounds. We were lucky because he didn't need much bandaging since he only got poisoned, but it left him in a weak state. In fact we were all in a weak state right now, which is nerve racking. "I don't understand how you can call someone you care so much about in such a way. I would never call my dear Sango in such a manner" Miroku chided as he checked the severity of my wounds, which were bad. Though I did not like the way the conversation is going and I didn't even want to think about if I even had feelings for the wench.

"Keh, you don't know her like I do and I don't feel for Kagome like you do for the slayer" I responded gruffly to his unwelcome question as images of the wench decided to invade my head.

"Hmmm", was all the monk said in response as if he was questioning where my feelings stood.

I glared at him and snapped a quick and demanding statement, "Just focus on bandaging me up monk." His response to that statement was to pull a bandage a little too tight, which caused me to suck in a breath from pain.

"I'll have the runt help you with the slayer" I told him as I tried to adjust the bandages so they were more comfortable.

Miroku looked at me skeptically as he said, "Why would I allow you to tend to Lady Kagome alone?" The question obviously telling me that he still holds little trust in me.

I was not in the mood for another verbal battle or anymore stalling. We need to help the girls first then figure out allegiances later. "Because I don't want you to see her and I know if she will wake up and suddenly go on a rampage" I replied and both were true, but I would kill the monk before he saw Kagome naked.

…

'How the hell am I going to tend to Kagome's wounds' I thought to myself and could feel the blood rushing to my face at what I would have to do. I decided to stop before I did anything and tried to a solution to my very real problem. I looked up to ask the monk, but he was already tending to the slayer.

"Miroku said that you would need some help" Shippo said from my shoulder and brought me out of my thoughts as well as provided an answer to my problem.

"I'm not responsible for what happens to the monk when the slayer wakes up" I ground out and focused on how Shippo and I would clean and dress Kagome's wounds.

It was well into the night when Kagome finally woke up. I didn't know how to put her clothes back on so I wrapped her with my haori and covered us in a blanket to keep her warm. By the time we had managed to get her to a place with water she was already running a high fever, though once we got her clean the damage was worse than I had thought. Long thin burn marks traced veins all over body, including her face, and I would imagine that the inside of her body wasn't faring any better. If I could have done anything then I would have, but the dangers of blood bond with me and the consequences of consuming her blood were too high. If I can help it I don't want to bind her to me by force.

After we came back to the camp there was a fire going and the monk was knocked out on the ground with bruises marring his face and an angry slayer leaning against a tree with Kirara on her lap. Unfortunately that left me to explain everything that happened to the slayer since she remembered nothing. Eventually I convinced her that Kagome was burned by Yura's fire and that Yura got away with injuries from me. After the slayer was convinced I sat down close to the fire, wrapped Kagome's shaking form in a blanket and set her in my lap. I never realized how small she was until she was curled up as tightly as possible in my arms.

Though when she woke up I forgot how small she was and was reminded just how obnoxious and annoying she is. It didn't take her long to register that she was nearly naked under the blanket or to push me away and stumble out of my lap.

"What the hell wench!" I hissed as quietly as I could since everyone else was asleep, and they desperately needed it.

"What do you mea..!" she started to say rather loudly in a hoarse voice before I clamped my hand over her mouth, which was still hot with the fever that was slowly going down.

"Quiet or you will wake everyone up!" I hissed again as the runt began to stir from the fluffy think Kagome brings around to sleep in. Lucky for us he didn't wake up, but I wasn't about to chance it again. So, without warning I grabbed Kagome and went into the trees so that we could have some privacy.

"You have some serious explaining to do" Kagome said and I could tell that she felt cold from the slight waver in her rough voice.

"It was either me or the monk who would have dressed your wounds, so I chose myself. Ya got a problem with that wench?" I asked snidely.

"What?" she questioned as if she had no idea what I was talking about.

"Your wounds you gave yourself and those from Yura" I said frankly and gestured to her whole body. Lucky for us there was enough moonlight to just barely make out the pattern of all the burns that marred her body and the irritated scars that were visible.

"How did I get these" the wench said breathlessly and I was getting really tired of her not remembering when things happened.

"Lemme guess. Ya don't remember" I stated in an irritated tone and left her standing there as I walked back the short distance to our camp.

Kagome stood there rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm herself up now that Inuyasha wasn't going to offer his body heat again anytime soon. Though it wasn't true that she didn't know how she got the marks she did. In fact she remembered it vividly all the way down to how her power had felt searing through her veins and all of the colors she had seen. She remembered everything that had happened and even had caught a glimpse of Miroku's frightened expression before unconsciousness took its hold of her. Though most of all she remembered how the villagers died and how their blood had covered her like a brand.

Yes, Kagome remembered everything, even though she wished to forget. Each memory ate away at her mind slowly and a small voice, just above a whisper, kept repeating the same sentence. 'It's all your fault.'

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A/N: As always it is a pleasure and thank you for reading!


	132. Chapter 130: Disdain

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 130: Disdain

I crawled into the sleeping bag with Shippo and lucky for me I didn't wake him up. The events of what happened that day raced through my head and the feelings I felt while they were happening twisted in my stomach uncomfortably. It also didn't help that Inuyasha was staring at me in annoyance. What he was annoyed about was beyond me. I did, however enjoy waking up in his arms; that was a nice surprise. Although I highly doubt he is annoyed about that fact and more annoyed that I 'don't' remember anything that happened, or that I declared war on Naraku. That is going to come back and bite me in the butt later. That night I couldn't sleep, not that I really wanted to. I could feel Inuyasha's eyes staring at me for a good part of it before I figured he dozed off or found something more interesting than me breathing.

As soon as I saw the sky beginning to lighten I gently exited the sleeping bag that I had stayed in for most of the night and went over to my back pack to get somethings out of it. "What are you doing wench?" Inuyasha said lightly so that no one would wake up just yet. I looked up into his eyes as he stood the way he usually did with his arms crossed in front of him.

"Getting things to change into, is that a crime?" I whispered back with as much sarcasm as I could muster. Honestly I wanted to be in my room and cry my heart out until I could get the picture of all those people dying out of my mind. I wish I could paint over my fears just as easily I can paint over canvas.

"Keh" was all he said and went to a tree to sit in and keep watch. I grabbed what I wanted to wear for the day and all of modern toiletries I brought with me that I use for the morning, as well as my dagger I received from my father as a gift. I walked away from our camp in the general direction I thought that the body of water they had used to clean Sango and myself was.

"I would be honored to escort a lady such as yourself" I heard the familiar smooth voice that belonged to Miroku from close by as he walked out from some of the trees in the early morning light. There was no trace of the frightened expression that he held yesterday anywhere on his face.

"Heh" I scoffed because I knew he was hiding what he truly thought and felt only to ensure his own safety. "If you don't feel safe, then leave. I won't force you to stay." I said with a heaping dose of spite in my voice. I was not in the mood to play any games with those around me, besides Inuyasha. It would be better to keep him from worrying too much about what happened. After all, if he knew how I felt he would be stepping around every word that left his mouth and that was the last thing I needed right now.

"Well. It seems that your memory has returned, or perhaps it never left" Miroku said with caution to his voice and actions.

"That is inconsequential" I said as I continued moving on in the forest towards where I thought was water.

I heard Miroku following at a safe distance behind me. "The fact that you happen to be a Divine Demon, or at least one of the Fallen Race, is quite interesting" he mused out loud as his staff jingled lightly with every step we took into the forest.

I stopped and turned around to face the monk that seemed determined to follow me. "Quarter demon. My father was a hanyou" I said as I crossed my arms and stared him in the eyes, whilst trying to hide the still fresh pain I felt in my heart and body.

"Then you could possibly be descended of Lady Midoriko and Lord Akihiro" he said in response with a calm tone coming through in his voice. Though that one statement caught my attention. I am almost positive that they were my grandparents, but I have no idea how Miroku knows them.

"How…" I nearly whispered in surprise and confusion as my life seemed to make less and less sense as each day passed by.

"Lady Midoriko can trace her beginnings as a priestess from my shrine. It is why I sought the slayer's village and met Sango" Miroku answered the quiet question that hung between us.

I looked at him skeptically before I decided to ask another question. It seemed too easy that answers were simply falling into my lap after all of this time. "Why would you think that I have any relation to Lady Midoriko?"

Miroku slightly smirked and took a step forward. "You carry power that is no doubt descended from the pure bloodline of the Divine Demons, and a powerful miko or priest. The only known human to have mixed their bloodline with that of the pure bloodline was Lady Midoriko. You are directly descended from those beings that fell from the Celestial Realm so many eons ago" calmly and formally responded as if I was a princess that had just been found. It unnerved me that his demeanor has changed so drastically.

"You were terrified of me yesterday and now you are treating me as if I am royalty" I said with disdain in my voice. Miroku looked at me in confusion due to my reaction to his proud history lesson. "I'm not a princess or some rare specimen. I'm simply Kagome and I have my hands full dealing with just that" I huffed and turned back to the way I was going before. I needed to make this as quickly as possible or Inuyasha was liable to come and try to find me.

"Lady Kagome. I meant no offense, but I would like to assist you with training. If you continue to use your power like you did, it will eventually take your life" he sounded concerned for me and that just fueled my depressing mood and negative thoughts. It's funny how I could feel myself teetering on the brink of a never ending abyss, but I kept leaning forward. I felt like I wanted to fall, but something was holding me back and right now I really needed to know what that something was.

I could actually hear my thoughts become nasty and cynical before I uttered them to the seemingly harmless monk that stood before me. I also didn't notice me moving towards him until I was pulling down his body by his robes that were clenched in my fist. "Well then. Let's see just how far I can go before I break completely, shall we?" I whispered with a twisted smirk as all the dark and dangerous thoughts filled my head and the small voice that was nothing above a whisper before was screaming in my head 'It's all your fault!' like howling wind in a typhoon.

I only had a moment to let the sick satisfaction of causing such a distressed look to cross Miroku's face before an irritated voice boomed from close by. "I thought you said you were going to get changed" Inuyasha said and I simply stared at him with a blank expression as Miroku took my hand from his robes and drew me close to himself.

"I shall always be there for you" he said just loud enough for Inuyasha to hear and just to spite the hanyou watching us he kissed my forehead as a promise. The worst part is that I knew Miroku didn't mean me any harm and was genuine in his offer, but right now I didn't want to be anywhere near anybody when I was using my powers.

I watched as Miroku walked back to the camp and left myself and an incredibly irritated hanyou to deal with the mess that he left. "Don't worry about it Inuyasha" I said nonchalantly and headed back to my journey of a morning routine. Then after I got back I could wring the monk's neck for saying something so misleading.

"The hell is that supposed to mean, Kagome?" he asked with barely concealed anger and what I assumed was jealousy in his golden eyes that I once found solace in. Now I didn't want to look at them out of my shame for what had happened and the lie I gave him.

"It doesn't mean anything" I pushed back in hopes that he would leave me alone. He already spent most of the night staring at my back and I didn't need him breathing down my neck like an overbearing boss.

I heard him growl before he grabbed my arm and jerked me to a halt. I grit my teeth as I felt his warm hand close around the burns that surrounded my body. "Tell me what's going on" he demanded and I'm not exactly why I said what I said next, but it just slipped from my lips.

"You don't need to know everything about me. I'm just your 'jewel detector'" I said harshly with spite filling my voice. I watched as pain flitted through Inuyasha's eyes and was quickly replaced with a becoming frequent anger.

"We leave within the hour" he stated curtly and turned back towards our small camp. What I said had left my lips before I even thought about them or the expression it caused him to have. I didn't know if it was from disdain, depression or simple frustration at the fact that he had no idea as to what I was feeling. Though I did know that the voice in the back of my mind was screaming in rage and agony as it had been before, 'It's All Your Fault!'

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A/N: I wish these next chapters were going to be happy for the holidays, but the beginning of this next arc is going to be rough. I will be introducing a character that some love and some hate (No it is not Kouga) in this arc, though they will only make a brief appearance.

Also this is your 'every tenth chapter' reminder to vote on the poll on my profile page. You don't have to read the profile page at all; the poll is at the top of the page.

Also I probably won't update another chapter for a while due to my school work that is piling up and my work schedule.

Thank you for reading!


	133. Chapter 131: Okay

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 131: Okay

It has been a few days since the incident with Yura. The boys went back to the village to bury the bodies of the villagers and Sango took care of me. I have been left in a weakened state and I probably know what it feels like to actually be human for once in my life. My wounds are healing at a snail's pace and I haven't had a bath since Inuyasha and Shippo decided to wash my wounds after the fight. I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes I can actually see the light leaving the villagers' bodies after Yura killed them. My head is throbbing from the constant haunting chant that chills me to the bone.

"Kagome" Sango called me from next to the fire. I looked up from the dirt I was staring at to see her pitying expression. I had heard her, Inuyasha and Miroku talking about how I am from the future where there is not as much death and destruction. They were talking about how I wasn't used to death and that this was hard for me to deal with. I had to let out a single dry laugh at that thought. It could have been a piece of this sorrow, but that wasn't the main reason. No. The reason was because I had the power to save every single one of those people in the village and I stood there doing nothing but take Yura's attacks. Everything I had done was for nothing…

"Kagome?" Sango brought me from my thoughts as he placed a hand on my shoulder. Her worried expression turned into relief when I looked her in the eyes. I forced a smile as best as I could. Instead of leaving me alone like I wanted Sango sighed and sat down next to me. I looked the other way to see Shippo playing with his gadgets and trying to think of something new.

"You know, I understand that you are hurting. I felt the same way when I came back to my village." Sango started to tell me as her eyes were drawn to a far off and sad place. I know that her entire village and family were killed by Naraku, but she never let her pain or sadness show. It made me wonder if at some point I would be able to do that too.

"Everyone had been slaughtered before I even arrived back. When I did t broke me to see what had happened," I heard Sango take a deep breath in and let it out before she once again started to tell me exactly what happened. "Then I watched as my brother, or what I thought was my brother, walked out in bloody clothes with dreadful wounds scattered all over his body. Naraku then made a proposition with me. If I were to kill a certain monk he would return my brother to me, alive. That was when found Miroku and I attacked him out of desperation and need to have my little brother given back to me. What I didn't know at that time was that he was already dead and Naraku was simply using his body like a puppet. I'm just glad that I learned the truth before I killed Miroku" she said to me without looking at me once.

"How can you deal with that? I can't even imagine my family being killed" I whispered as I focused on a grain of dirt at my feet.

"I still feel the pain. That never goes away and neither does the guilt, but there are things in life that still make it worth living" She replied to my hopeless question and this time she did look at me and I saw the tears that were brimming in her brown eyes. At that moment I knew that I was most certainly not the only one who was hurting. Sango would have been more than capable of going with Inuyasha and Miroku to bury the villagers, but Miroku made her stay behind with me. Now I knew the reason why.

"I couldn't do anything to save them, Sango" I whimpered into my knees as I drew them closer to my body in an effort to keep my heart from the sickening pain I felt.

Her arm reached over and pulled me against her, just like my mother used to do when I had a nightmare. It felt comforting and safe. "I wish I could say that everything will be alright, but I truly don't know" Sango said to me as she rested the side of her head atop my own. "But, maybe one day it will be" she muttered softly and I could feel her cheek raise in a sad, yet hopeful smile. At that point I let my own tears streak down my face for the lives that were lost. For the part of me that was lost with them and for causing so much pain and worry for those around me. I cried for them and for so much more.

After a few minutes quietly weeping in Sango's embrace Shippo tugged on the leg of my jeans. I looked up with watery eyes to see the small kit with a scared and worried expression on his face. "Kagome… are you alright?" he asked with tears starting to form in his own eyes.

"I will be Shippo" I said and sat up to open my arms in order to hug the kit who was quickly becoming another person I would die protecting and couldn't live without. He hopped into my arms and I hugged him back just to make sure he wouldn't leave me. Then I recalled what Sango had said earlier about. Shippo was one of the people who made my life worth living, just as she herself was and Inuyasha and Miroku. I smiled as my shaking arms embraced Shippo more closely to myself. I may not be okay right now, but maybe someday I can be alright.

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A/N: I know it has been a long time, but I have been caught up in finals and work. So, I hope you are enjoying the story and I'm sorry that this is not a happy chapter right before the holidays.

In case if I don't update before the holidays: Happy Holidays!

Thank you as always for reading this story. :)


	134. Chapter 132: Accusation

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Happy New Year Everyone!

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Chapter 132: Accusation

"What the hell happened out there wench?!" Inuyasha yelled at me in anger and confusion. We had encountered a centipede demon about a week after the incident with Yura. My scars were almost healed to where they were nearly unnoticeable and everyone else in our small group was healing faster than I thought they would have. The poison was nearly out of Miroku's system and Inuyasha was completely back to normal, though Sango was going to have a scar on her back where my power burned Yura's strings from her back. Though there was one thing that wasn't back to normal and I had no idea how to get it back.

"How should I know?!" I yelled back at my dog eared companion and friend.

"It's your own damned power!" I squinted my eyes as I glared at him for all I was worth. Why were we arguing at this time after the battle was already said and done? That would be because I ran into battle without knowing I was basically a powerless human.

"Yeah and you use your sword everyday" I retorted sarcastically to him. It wasn't my fault. Then again it probably was, but I would never admit that to Inuyasha.

"That's different!" he yelled again and this time he threw his hands up in the air. He had been far more irritable towards myself and much more distant towards Miroku. It probably had to do with what Miroku said to me after we had our conversation in the woods.

"Oh, really? What would happen if you couldn't use your precious sword? Hm?" I questioned him as I put my hands on my hips in defiance.

"I wouldn't know because I didn't lose it. We are going back to the old hag's village" he said with determination and started the other way without listening to my opinion on the matter.

"You can go back. I'm heading to where some useful information is on the jewel. The sooner we get the jewel back together and defeat Naraku the sooner this whole ordeal can be over" I said and nearly cringed at my own words. Since when did I turn into Inuyasha?

"Oh?" Inuyasha said cynically. I could tell by the narrowed yellow eyes and the quirked eyebrow that I was not going to like the conclusion he was drawing. In the next moments I would realize that was entirely right. "Is there a good reason why we should get this done soon?" he asked me.

"Yeah so we can keep the evil demon from killing people" I said bluntly as my annoyance at my companion was growing by the second. I glanced to where the rest of our group was standing and could see that Inuyasha and myself were a source of entertainment for them.

"Really? Cause I can only think of one thing that can make a Miko lose her powers besides death" he snidely remarked and I just looked at him dumbfounded as he held an angry posture and had a face to match. I honestly had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

It hit me, well it hit Miroku first when he was hit over the head with Sango's hiraikotsu. "What'd I do?" Miroku, who was actually innocent this time, asked as he rubbed his throbbing head.

"You hentai!" Sango screamed and stalked off into the distance to let off some steam. I on the other was slowly piecing together what they meant through my recollection of Miko history I learned from my grandfather.

"Wait! You think that Miroku and I… What the Hell?! What do you take me for?!" I screamed as I stalked up to Inuyasha who stupidly stood his ground. In the background I heard the confused voice of Shippo as he asked what was happening. "You stupid asshole! I don't sleep around! Oh and if I did want to have sex with anyone from this time it sure as hell wasn't Miroku!" I screamed and his eyes narrowed at me even further. It makes me wonder if I am deranged to like someone so delusional. Somewhere in the background I heard Sango gasp at the language I was using.

He should have kept his mouth shut and not said anything at all, but then it wouldn't be Inuyasha, "How the hell should I know wench? I thought you had a thing for monks" he spitefully bit back as he took what I said as a challenge and thus started a whole new fight on and entirely different scale.

When he said that I knew he was referring to the monk named Muso that I had met a while back, but I truly didn't care. There were certain things you could insult in front of me and I wouldn't care, but he just happened to be dishing out a plethora of shit for one of the three I refuse to take sitting down. My honor was one of those three, now usually I will just yell at someone in a verbal battle, but being accused like this by someone I actually liked pushed me over the edge. A verbal battle wasn't going to do anything at this point.

I clenched my jaw and turned around to walk towards Miroku. I could see the fear from his eyes as I stalked up to him all the while trying to ignore jeering comments coming from the hanyou behind me. "Take these" I said as I took off my backpack, dagger, bow and quiver to hand them to the monk I was starting to feel sorry for. I would have handed them to Sango if she was closer, but she just started to return when I had turned around to take any distractions out of the equation. I pulled a hair tie from my wrist and roughly grabbed my hair to put it up in a messy bun that would make me have one less weakness for what was about to happen.

I started to walk away when Miroku tried to protest against the actions I was choosing to take. I glared at him before I spoke the very words he said to me around a week ago, "You said 'I'll always be there for you'. Don't chicken out now." I stretched my arms and smirked at the fact that I was going to be having an intense 'training' session with my so very lovable hanyou companion.

Even though I had no spiritual power at the moment I could still fight pretty well and that was exactly what happened. When I got close enough to Inuyasha I launched myself at him and he dodged it at the last moment. I used the momentum of the attack I launched to spring me back at him, thought him being a hanyou made it hard for me to even land a blow. Throughout our fight I heard Inuyasha periodically growling at me as a warning to back off, but there was no way in hell I was going to do that until I beat his ass or he apologized profusely.

After close to what I assumed was a half hour of him dodging my attacks I was starting to get tired and Inuyasha looked like he was barely breaking a sweat. That just pissed me off even more than before. "What is it wench? Ya can't fight without your precious powers?" he chided at me and for the first time in my life I actually saw red.

"Course not dog-boy. I'm just getting started" I said and smirked because I was about to prove him wrong about not being able to seduce anyone. Though this was not how I pictured myself doing it. I decided to take off my shirt so that I could move better and I would be cooler than before. Fortunately I was wearing a sports bra, but for this time and age this was completely unacceptable attire, hell this was not entirely accepted in my time.

"W-what the hell are ya doin' wench?!" I heard him exclaim and saw that his eyes were wide with confusion and he was sporting a blush as well.

"I'm going to kick your ass" I said under my breath through clenched teeth. I slowly stalked up to him knowing full well that he didn't hear what I had said under my breath. I could tell that he was trying to stay angry at me, but was having a hard time as his eyes were drawn to the bare skin that was once covered with my discarded shirt. Fortunately I managed to get close to him with him still being confused, but I could tell that he was still on guard. This was going to be tricky and I would have to be careful with what I say and how I say it, or my plan is going to go down the toilet.

"Why would you think that something like that even happened?" I asked and succeeded in confusing him as he looked me as if I was crazy for asking that with my shirt off. Soon he would find out why I did that, but for now I am going to enjoy how deliciously vulnerable he is.

"Keh. Why should I even believe you," he asked me in spite and slight disgust. That was a surprising response, it actually seemed like he was jealous.

"Because of this," I said quietly and grabbed his face with my hands. He tried to push me away to keep me from landing a blow, but I was faster. I pulled his fact to mine and our lips met. If this wasn't an actual fight I would have enjoyed myself, but I was still pissed as hell. I watched as his eyes turned from surprise to something softer and I saw my chance. Unlucky for Inuyasha I took it.

I pulled my lips from his surprisingly soft ones and I kneed him in the stomach, hard. He stumbled back a few steps as I saw the pain on his face and in his eyes. I rushed towards him and punched him the face, then I spun around and kicked him just below his sternum to take him to the ground. "Betrayal hurts like a bitch, doesn't it" I said and walked back to my shirt and picked up everything that Miroku was still holding. Then I stalked past Sango and walked on in the general direction we were heading. I kept my angry tears from falling at what Inuyasha thought and the fact that I was truly useless in the last battle. Now more than ever I had to know where I came from and why I am the way I am. I just hope that the slayer's village holds the answers I am looking for.

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A/N: So I was debating how I would write this chapter I think it turned out alright.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter


	135. Chapter 133: Girl Talk

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Wow, it has been a while since I updated.

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Chapter 133: Girl Talk

"I'm a terrible person…" I grumbled to Sango as we washed ourselves with wash clothes and water from the river. The current from the river was too strong to bathe in and it was cold, so bathing wasn't in it wasn't really very realistic.

"For using your feminine charms to gain an advantage in a fight that you knew you would lose otherwise? I wouldn't have done that, but it was resourceful" Sango said as she seemed to be praising me for what had happened earlier in the day.

The only problem was that I wasn't upset I lashed out at Inuyasha, no he deserved that, but it was the means I used to do so that made me feel horrible. "That's not it… I used what was taught to me for selfish reasons and not in self-defense," shame rushed through my body as I recalled taking an oath to only ever use what I had learned for defense of myself or others. If Kara ever knew about this she would have my head.

"You were taught how to fight and you used that knowledge to best your opponent. I don't see how that is a bad thing," Sango said in confusion. I hadn't used it for bad, but what I did was against what I was taught. Then on top of the shame that I felt my mind kept going back to just how good it felt to kiss Inuyasha. Not to mention that his lips were warm, soft and inviting. I wonder what would have happened if I didn't choose to take the chance to kick his ass. Would he have kissed me back?

"When I was taught, no matter by whom, I promised each of them that I would only use the skills I learned in self-defense or the defense of another. Instead I lashed out because I got angry." The emotions I was feeling at that moment weren't exactly coherent because I was so very confused and frustrated.

"Kagome, you used it in self-defense. You defended your honor when it was challenged. In my opinion that is a form of self-defense. You could have tried to talk to Inuyasha, but I doubt words would get through to him when he was that upset," Sango tried to comfort me and I had to say her point of view did make me feel better about what had happened.

I chuckled under my breath as I remembered just how relieved Sango was after I denied anything between Miroku and myself. "Thank you for trying to make me feel better, but I'm sure you feel great now after everything has been cleared up," I said suggestively

"What are you talking about?" Sango asked me, not really following where I was headed in the conversation.

I felt the sly smile spread across my face and could see the wariness in Sango's eyes before I started speaking. "About the fact that you are in love with Miroku."

I watched as Sango's face turned from wariness to shock then turned as red as a tomato as she tried to sputter her rejection of my observation. Eventually I had to keep myself from giggling at her by biting my lower lip. After a few moments she turned her embarrassment into anger. "W-well, what about you and Inuyasha?" she pressed as she tried to change the subject.

"What about us?" I asked in an amused tone because I was still very much amused with the way Sango reacted to me saying she loved the monk.

"You have feelings for him" she said slyly back to me, just as I had done to her earlier in the conversation.

I could feel my face grow red and I avoided looking into her eyes, "Yeah, so?"

I heard her suck in a quick breath of surprise that garnered my attention. "Do you love him" she said excitedly in a higher pitched voice than she usually used. It reminded me that Sango was still just as much a child as I was and yet we were both considered to be adults in this time and expected to act like them. It was nice to see the teenager come out of Sango every once and awhile. It let me know that she had never been broken by Naraku, that there was still an innocence to her.

"I don't know, but I do have romantic feelings for him" I said softly and felt my face grow hotter than before. It's weird that we really only have a few words to describe how we feel about someone, 'like' and 'love' were eons apart in their meanings and I knew I was somewhere in the awkward in-between of the two. I wasn't entirely sure I was in love with Inuyasha, but I know I like him. I did kiss him after all.

"So that kiss wasn't just to keep in place so you could kick was it?" she asked me in the same tone as before.

"Un-uh. You have to answer my question from before if you want any more details" I demanded and used the insatiable need for friendly gossip as my ally to getting the answers I wanted.

"What question" she asked as she tried to feign ignorance about the fact that she hadn't verbally told me her feelings about the monk.

"The one about your feelings on a certain perverted monk?" I asked and threw the wet rag at her in a pitiful effort to get her to spill her heart out to me.

Once again her face turned red. "He's not as bad as he seems" she mumbled.

"Well, that's not an answer" I said blatantly and earned a glare from the demon slayer.

"I think…" she started and then took a breath to calm herself. "I think… I might love him, but I'm not sure" she said quickly and her blush seemed like it would stain her face forever. "Back to my question since I answered yours" she said to me and demanded an answer to her earlier question about the kiss.

"Well…" this time I was blushing. I could tell by the fact that my face was heating up to become hotter than the rest of my body. "It was meant to distract him, but if I didn't like him then I never would have thought to do it. Though I don't think he feels the same way" I said and felt my mouth quirk up in a sad smirk as I thought about my relationship with Inuyasha.

"Why?" Sango asked in a confused manner as if it was strange that I even thought the way I did.

"Because…" I shrugged and took a breath because I knew I walked into this one all by myself. "I am the reincarnation of his love from fifty years ago and she was the one who betrayed him and pinned him to a tree for those fifty years. I don't know what his feelings are and I'm not going to ask" I said with finality in my voice and the out of nowhere a shiver ran up my spine.

"Kagome, I think you shou…" Sango started, but I interrupted her from whatever it as she was going to say.

"Get dressed" I ordered and rushed to put my clothes back over the top of my body. The shiver grew into an intense sense of something very wrong was going to happen. Unlucky for us my gut feelings were nearly never wrong. I glanced at the river that was just barely visible through the trees and saw singed debris floating down the fast moving current. Then the river was streaked with ribbons of blood and bits of flesh. I didn't know what was happening, but I prayed that we weren't too late to stop it from progressing. As soon as I had everything in place I didn't even tell Sango what was going on, I just grabbed my dagger, bow and quiver then sprinted up river. I knew Sango would get the guys and they would catch up, but I couldn't waste any time.

"Kagome!" I heard Sango yell after me as she was still struggling to get dressed in her clothes. I couldn't stop. I couldn't let what happened to that village happen again, powers or no powers.

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Thank you for your reviews! I love reading them. :)

As always thank you for reading!


	136. Chapter 134: The Spider on its Back

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 134: The Spider on its Back

My lungs burned from me pushing myself so hard as I sprinted ahead. I barely felt the branches whip across my face and I didn't even bother to brush them out of the way. I was desperate to get there in time to at least save one life. I had to save someone. This desperation drove me faster and longer as I ran, stumbled and fell through the woods in order to find the village that was under siege. With every footstep the feeling I had grew and made me nauseous as my stomach turned.

Suddenly I was veered off course as something knocked into my side and took my breath away. I opened my eyes as my tired lungs gasped for air and I saw red. "What the hell wench?!" I heard Inuyasha yell in my face. He didn't know…

"Let me GO!" I screamed as I tried to push him off of me, but he grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the ground.

"No!" he growled at me and I could see the confusion and anger in his eyes. He didn't know because I didn't tell him. Instead I lied to him about the last village and said that I didn't remember.

"I have to go!" I screamed. "I can't let it happen again! I can't…" I could feel my voice waver instead of hear it. All I could hear was the devastatingly loud voice saying 'It's all your fault' and my rapidly beating heart over and over again like a pounding hailstorm. Before I knew it I was in the air and on Inuyasha's back.

"You have some fucking explaining to do, wench" Inuyasha bit out as he leapt through the air. I could hear Miroku shout from a ways back and soon Kirara was gaining on us from behind. I gritted my teeth as the uneasy feeling continued to grow. Now that we were above the trees I could see smoke from fire pluming from a village that we were simply not getting to fast enough.

"Damnit wench! I can practically smell your fear. Calm down, nothin's going to happen to you" he said to me and I could hear the irritation in his voice.

"It's not me I'm worried about" I said darkly under my breath, but I know that Inuyasha heard me because I felt his muscles tense for a fraction of a second. Eventually we arrived on the outskirts of the village and felt my stomach heave as the air filtered into my nose. It was a rancid mix of smoldering buildings, flesh and the potent smell of blood.

"What happened here?" Sango asked as she looked at the destruction that was once a village. I didn't even have to look at her face to see the horror that would be displayed there.

"A demon" I heard Inuyasha respond as he growled and placed his hands on Tetsaiga. My own hands tightened around my dagger as I grit my teeth in anger and sadness at seeing another village torn apart.

'Naraku' I thought with disdain as I felt my hands shaking in anger at what he had done again. I wish that my powers would work again so that I could sense if there was anything, or anyone was alive. "Yura! Where are you!" I screamed as I felt my disgust and anger rising by the second. I knew that Naraku would draw us into one of his 'games' again, but I didn't know that it would be so soon.

"Kekeke… I'm afraid that you will be disappointed. Kagome." The voice that responded was most definitely not the one that belonged to Yura. This voice was deeper and more sinister, it made the air shudder with every syllable it uttered. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and a cold sweat formed on the back of my neck. The sound of its voice seemed to slither through the air and chill you to the bone, despite it being fair weather.

Then I saw it. A massive purple demon with rippling muscles and bloodstained claws with piercing yellow eyes to match. For a split second its back was turned to us and I could see what looked like a scar in the shape of a spider. As soon as I saw it I knew, I don't know how, that it was a lowlife demon from Naraku.

"Kekeke, you were thinking that I am a 'lowlife demon from Naraku.' I suppose that is not far from the truth" it said as it turned its attention to me and I paled at what it said. It could read minds, just like Deysi.

I saw its eyes lock with mine as its forked tongue licked the bloodstained fangs that lined its mouth. "I can't wait to make you watch everyone you care about die," it exclaimed and then it dissappeared. I didn't even think, but I listened to my gut and launched myself at Inuyasha. It couldn't just read minds, it could see so much deeper.

I knocked Inuyasha off balance and away from where he was going to strike just before it happened. I felt the wind from its attack and a sharp pain in my side as I felt my flesh being torn open at my hip. "Kagome!" I heard Shippo scream out.

"Stay where you are!" I screamed behind me and got to my feet quickly and unsheathed my dagger. I would have to ignore the pain, if I don't we would all die.

I heard Inuyasha unsheathe his sword and I knew he was in a battle stance. "Stay behind me wench. I'm supposed to be doin' the protecting, not the other way around," he growled at me and I understood his demand, but I was going to choose to ignore it. This demon meant business and if we were going to win we would have to give it our all.

"Protecting someone whom you will never be able to protect is a high order" it said and quirked a vicious smile with its bloodstained fangs. We didn't know it at the time, but this battle would bring about consequences of its own that we would have to overcome.

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A/N: Well, here we go.

As always thank you for reading! I love the reviews, I can't believe that this story has almost 200!


	137. Chapter 135: Nothing but a Fang

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 135: A Simple Fang

I ignored what the ugly demon said and gave Inuyasha a smirk of my own, "Since when have I ever listened?" I asked as I stood next to him with my own dagger drawn and ready for battle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Shippo was seated on Kirara, Sango had her hiriakotsu at the ready and Mioku's hand was gripped on the prayer beads that sealed his wind tunnel.

"Keh" was Inuyasha's telltale answer. Then before we knew it the battle began. This thing that was clearly belonging to Naraku went straight for us, or so I thought. The attack that I prepared for never came, but again I felt the gut feeling I had before.

"Dodge!" I screamed at Sango and Miroku in just enough time for Sango to partially block the attack. The claws of the demon slashed against the giant bone boomerang, leaving deep gouges in their wake. Sango was thrust to the ground from the impact of the collision and Miroku rushed to her side, but was stopped by the demon and thrown against a tree with a single swipe of its arm.

"Miroku!" I heard Sango cry out as she rushed to where the monk had collapsed. I felt a rush of wind against my side and noticed that Inuyasha was gone. Before I could blink he was taking Sango out of the danger zone where the giant, ugly, purple toad had launched another attack at the demon slayer.

That last thought caught its attention and I was once again a target. I let stupid insults fill my head and listened to my instincts in order to dodge and defend against its relentless attacks, which only lasted for a couple seconds because as I was expecting Inuyasha had my back. Yet even though the both of us were attacking this monster we weren't gaining any headway. It could read Inuyasha's attacks and my instincts could only protect me for so long. I needed to find a way to keep him from reading our minds.

Out of nowhere the demon swung its arm into the air and made contact with something. I looked to see the object he deflected and realized that it was Sango's damaged hiraikotsu. Rapidly I looked to the direction it had come from and saw Sango running towards us, rather the demon, with the sword she kept at her hip drawn and ready to strike. The demon that had been fighting with Inuyasha and myself then stood in front of Sango with an impressive amount of speed, who was a fair amount of distance away. A dark realization hit me. This demon was luring Inuyasha and myself away from our friends, it was isolating us. "Inuyasha, get to Miroku and Shippo!" I yelled. It was a basic battle strategy to pick off and separate the more powerful opponents before easily taking out those less powerful. It was basic, but I never even saw it coming.

"I'm not about to listen to you now Kagome! You don't have any powers" he yelled at me as he rushed forward ahead of me; moving faster than I ever could have. I just hope he made it before we are too late.

I changed my course, all the while looking at the fight that was happening between Sango and Naraku's demon spawn. If Inuyasha was headed to protect Sango then I was the one who had to protect Miroku and Shippo, at least Kirara would be there to help. I could tell that it was saying something to Sango because her motions began to get sporadic and even with Inuyasha helping her it seemed to be a lost cause. As soon as I reached where Miroku was I called to Kirara to bring Shippo over to where we were. I saw her hesitate at first before heading my way with Shippo on her back. I knew that she was torn between going to her master and protecting the young demon that was on her back. I was just glad that she chose the latter. I couldn't imagine what would happen if I lost Shippo…

A terrifying feeling settled into my stomach as I realized what I had thought. I quickly took my bow off of my shoulder and notched an arrow. Even with no power if it got hit with an arrow it would still feel pain. As I released the arrow the demon managed to get a hit in on Inuyasha. As it continued its attack the arrow missed it completely and Inuyasha had gouges from its claws across his chest and it just missed his neck. A split second later and before I could call out to Inuyasha as he struggled to get up off of the ground the demon used its powerful muscles in its leg to smash him into the ground.

My legs carried me as I screamed his name, calling for him to wake up. While Inuyasha was out of the picture Sango attacked, but the attack wasn't successful. The demon dodged her sword and crushed her to the ground, breaking her arm in the process and possibly some ribs. Then he scraped her up off of the ground and threw her to the side as if he decided to completely kill her later. I vaguely heard Miroku call out Sango's name before I felt wind pick up around me. He had opened his wind tunnel.

I managed to just make it to Inuyasha's unconscious body before we were being dragged into the wind tunnel along with everything else around us. I grabbed my dagger from my side and punched it into the ground, hoping that it would hold us in place. I looked to where Miroku was and saw that the demon was being slowly drawn into his wind tunnel, but so were the demonic insects that we met with when we faced Yura. I didn't like where this was going at all.

In a moment of stupidity or brilliance I took my dagger out of the ground and then anchored Inuyasha in place with it and then I let go. I ended up being pulled through the air by Miroku's wind tunnel and lucky for me he saw me and shut his hand before I was sucked into the void. I managed to knock Miroku into the ground as I had hoped, but I also rolled right into a rock. I clutched my head where it had hit and reached behind me to call to my dagger. It would be very bad if it didn't come to me now.

"Lady Kagome" Miroku said in a pained voice as he clutched his hand in an effort to stop the poison from spreading.

"Don't do that again" I said as I ran away from him to keep him out of reach. I was the only one who was in any shape to fight besides Shippo and Kirara at this point. "Kirara take care of them" I ordered her as I continued to run, but I was slowed down by the wounds I had sustained. The gash in my side was throbbing and I could feel my head becoming light from the lack of blood; that and the wound on my head wasn't helping.

I didn't know where I was running until I saw Shippo running towards me. He had every intention to fight. I pushed my legs to go faster and get to him. I couldn't watch him die, I could let any of them die! I rushed forward and then launched myself into the air when I got close enough. I managed to catch Shippo and we rolled together in an uncoordinated fashion. Getting hit on the head doesn't make for good fighting. On instinct I rose my dagger above my head and impaled the demon's hand as it came down on us. Without thinking I pulled my dagger to the side and sliced through its disgusting purple flesh.

It drew its damaged hand back with a howl and swiped its other arm at us, but then it suddenly jumped out of the way and in its place was Inuyasha. He pulled his sword from the ground where it struck and turned his back to me. A sigh escaped my lips from sheer relief. "Shippo. Go guard the others with Kirara," Inuyasha demanded and glared at him to make sure he didn't argue. After he said that he ran towards the demon and began to attack once again. As soon as he was close enough he raise his sword and leapt into the air. I felt the air around me move and be drawn towards Inuyasha as he readied his attack. I knew that if this hit then that demon would be no more.

I held my breath without even being conscious of it as Inuyasha swung his sword down to release its power. Yet, the demon broke through and opened its vile jaws towards Inuyasha. The sword in Inuyasha's hand swung down regardless, but the demon caught it in its massive jaws and I heard a terrible crack. Right before my eyes I saw the tetsaiga bit into multiple pieces. The horror on Inuyasha's face was the last expression besides pain I saw before Naraku's demon impaled Inuyasha on its claws and then tossed him into the air. I couldn't help it. I screamed out in terror. I was watching Inuyasha, the person I loved being killed in front of my eyes and I was too far away to prevent it.

I ran to where they were, even though I knew I would never make it in time. I watched in horror as the demon brought its bloody, clawed hand down on Inuyasha again and left deeper gouges than before to form a crimson X on his torso. "Inuyasha!" I screamed as I felt tears brim in my eyes. Tears of sadness, pain and most of all anger.

Before I could get to where Inuyasha was I was stopped by the demon as it loomed in front of me. I didn't know how we would make it out, or even if we would. I have no powers and Inuyasha is possibly dead, while everyone else was out of commission or guarding. I swiftly turned around and yelled at Kirara, "Kirara, take them away from here!" It was the only thing I could get out before I was captured in the demon's strong grasp.

"Kagome," its voice slithered through the air and raised goose bumps over my skin. "There is no hope for you."

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Thank you for reading!


	138. Chapter 136: A Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

By the way I hope you all are enjoying the story thus far! :)

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Chapter 136: A Storm

The muscles in its hand squeezed tighter and tighter in an agonizing slow motion. It was making sure to crush me enough to cause as much pain physically possible, while still keeping me alive. "Kagome" it said in the slimy tone that was its voice. "I know everything" it said with finality. The terrifying part was not that it could kill me, but that I could feel it in my mind.

I let out a scream from both pain and violation as it rummaged around in my mind, trying to find something. My terror grew as I could feel something else inside of me well up in response to this demon. It felt dark and malevolent. Like someone bent on revenge at any cost necessary. It bubbled and festered as the demon tried to coax it out of hiding. I felt it scratching against the barrier blocking it from what it wanted. "Well… who would have thought you could house something so… sinister," it said to me and seemed to smile gleefully at what it had found in the depths of my mind. No it was more than that. It had ventured beyond my mind and heart, it had found the farthest reaches of my soul.

In my pain I felt tears running down my face and vague pleas and cries from Shippo. I could only imagine that Kirara was keeping him away and taking Sango along with Miroku away from here. There would only be myself and Inuyasha left.

Inuyasha. My tears ran not for just my pain, but the fear that I had lost him forever. That I would never see him again and the despair I felt that he would never know my feelings for him. The entire moment was terrifying and in a state of turmoil as I tried to think through the pain and despair clouding my mind.

Eventually I didn't think anymore and simply let go. After that I didn't really know what happened besides the demon not scratching around in my head anymore. In fact I couldn't feel it anywhere in my head. It was like it was locked out.

"Now that is a nice trick" I sneered at me as it tightened its grasp once again. I could feel my bones bending to just before the breaking point.

Through the torture I remembered what Deysi had taught me. The barriers within my mind. They were working. I realized that they were the only part of my powers that had manifested themselves in the last couple of days. Beyond the formation of barriers she had taught me little else, but my mind was trying to think in overdrive before my one advantage of the day disappeared.

After thinking, or rather pushing away the pain in order to let thoughts form in my head, I thought of a theoretical approach to using this limited source of power. If I was going to go down then I would ensure that this monster would never be able to read minds again.

Through squinted and tear laden eyes I caught a glimpse of Inuyasha's body lying on the ground in a pool of crimson blood. It only served to spark my fury and I took what power I was able to use and thrust it through the link this demon was trying to make with mind. I felt it enter its head and saw what it was called, Goshinki, and what its purpose was. After making it into his head I burned everything. My power was that of purity, but in essence it burned anything until there was nothing left.

Goshinki shrieked in pain as it tossed me down to the ground. The damage I had done was unrepairable, but unfortunately not deadly. I tried to crawl away by pulling myself through the dirt, but Goshinki caught me first by stabbing my left ankle through with his claw. I screamed in pain as I tried to grab onto a nonexistent hand hold in the dirt.

"What did you do to me?!" he screeched at me as he dragged me back to beneath his body by the claw in my flesh.

I coughed up blood in response as the dirt and grass beneath me cut up my already abused body with tiny scrapes and the flesh in my left ankle was being slowly torn apart. I could see that my vision was becoming less focused and I struggled to keep conscious. If I fell now then everyone would die.

It was no use. The harder I fought against the creeping blackness the quicker it seeped in. I couldn't register the words that were being thrown about as everything faded from me. The last thing I felt was the searing pain of the claw holding my ankle being ripped from its place. My unfocused eyes saw a blur of crimson red and purple tangled together in an intelligible picture. Yet, somewhere in my mind I felt that everything would be okay now. With that lingering feeling I let myself slip into the black void that had taken over me.

When I opened my eyes again I was in an unfamiliar place with a brutal storm raging around me. I got up unsteadily and looked around for anything that could be used to tell me where I was. To my relief I found Deysi. The only problem was that I was now in my mind, again.

Deysi stood a little ways away from me looking over the edge of a cliff with wind and rain whipping her white robes and black hair around wildly. She turned around and I was surprised to find an angry expression on her face as she glared at me with stern, silver eyes.

It was strange. She looked the same as the Deysi I was accustomed to, but she was different somehow. Now she seemed to be trustworthy; whereas before I was always somewhat wary.

She walked up to with the wind blowing her hair about in wet ribbons and then reared her hand back to give me a powerful slap. "Get yourself under control," she seethed at me. "Calm the storm."

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A/N: So we get to see Deysi again. I promise you that there will be twists in the future. You have been warned!

Thanks for reading!


	139. Chapter 137: Peanut Gallery

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 137: Peanut Gallery

I was about to intervene when the half demon somehow got up onto his feet again. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as his youki rushed across the ground as it flowed outwards. My mother's words to be cautious of the hanyou were correct. After the sword was broken so was the seal on his demon. I had to chuckle at how easy it was for his seal to break, while the girl's was far more troublesome. 'She must learn something or it is meaningless' was what my mother told me. In my opinion it was a long and roundabout way to do things.

I watched the battle between the lesser demon and the hanyou son of the deceased Inu no Taisho. My mother was right in assuming that the hanyou had more power than he let on, the only problem is that now the one thing keeping it under control is laying in pieces on the ground. He was attacking the demon with all of his might and I could feel the youki rolling off of him in dangerous waves. It was frightening to see someone so closely resembling a Fallen of our race fight. The complete lack of control and the bloodlust consuming him was staggering. I knew that if I let him sense me then he would attack me and I wasn't meant to 'meddle' in any of their affairs.

I gritted my teeth at the fact that I was helpless to stop this from happening, when I could have destroyed that demon with a single move and it wouldn't have been any the wiser. I was startled when I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see my adoptive mother watching the battle next to me with cold and calculating eyes. Her crimson eyes followed every movement and took everything in.

I turned my attention back to the battle when I heard the dying scream of the lesser demon and witnessed as it was torn apart and blood painted the ground and scenery around it. The hanyou cracked his bloody hand and donned a maniacal smirk that raised the jagged purple marks on his cheeks. After a second he turned his crimson and teal gaze to where the girl lay. Even from this distance I could feel the power leaking out from her and he had picked up on it.

"Inuyasha!" a male screamed, it was the same one that my mother was debating to kill or not. His cursed family only made things harder on the other side in the Shadow Realm. Although I suppose she could simply cut off his arm. The nekomata that was protecting the fox kit knocked the monk to the ground in order to protect him from the turned hanyou.

"Damn" I said under my breath. I had to do something in order to keep the girl from being killed. We needed her alive!

"Go back to the Shadow Realm." My mother commanded me as she tightened her grip on my shoulder.

I looked at her in confusion and shock. At this rate we wouldn't be able to do anything from this distance. "We have to save her," I hissed and altered my stance so that I could launch myself into the fray. Before I got the chance I felt a stabbing pain go through my body. It was something I hadn't felt in centuries since I found out who my adoptive mother truly was, back then I had foolishly tried to kill her.

"Since you can't feel what is coming, I suggest you leave to the Shadow Realm," she said darkly. It wasn't a suggestion, but an order. Her senses were far greater than mine and she could feel where the more powerful demons were and where they were headed, even if they were mountains away.

Even still, I didn't want to leave the girl at the mercy of such a monster. "He won't harm her, Ayame," she said steadily and looked me in the eyes to reassure me. I looked back at the battleground only to see the hanyou taking the girl to some other location. Reluctantly I headed my mother's order and retreated to the portal she had opened, but just as I was passing through to the other side I felt what she was speaking about. It was faint, but it was most definitely youkai. A very strong youkai that could probably give even my mother trouble.

Before I could turn back I was already in the Shadow Realm and face to face with an irate Hoshiyomi. She must not have told him that she was going to the mortal realm.

"Hoshiyomi?" I asked, not entirely sure how to phrase my question.

"Yes, Ayame." He responded to with a tinge of anger lacing his voice. When he and my mother were younger he was her body guard. It was part of his lineage to protect the royal line, even though there are only three of them left including the girl that was taken by the hanyou.

"Are there any demons in the mortal realm that would be powerful enough to kill her?" I asked him and he raised his brow at my question.

"The only ones I know of that would even be able to compete with her highness would have been Akihiro, Inu no Taisho and possibly the leader of the Ryuu clan. All of which are dead." He answered then seemed to remember something, "Perhaps the son of the Inu no Taisho."

His musings didn't make any sense to me. I had just seen the Inu no Taisho's son and he was just a hanyou; not at all a match for the power I had felt. "The hanyou wouldn't have been able to defeat her," I pondered out loud.

A short snicker caused me to look up at Hoshiyomi again, "I meant the first son. He is nearly a thousand years younger than her highness, though."

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As always thank you for reading!

How many of you readers actually read the ending notes, I wonder?


	140. Chapter 138: Kumori

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 138: Kumori

Now that Ayame was out of harm's way I would be able to carry out what I was about to do. The new Lord of the West was flying this way after feeling the youki from his half-brother. I smirked at getting the chance to play with him again, it was always quite amusing. Though he was the least of my worries. Someone else was coming and I had to ensure that they were gone before the Inu no Taisho's first born arrived.

I descended from where I was to the small group that had been with the girl. It consisted of a cursed monk, a demon slayer, a young fox kit and a nekomata. I smiled at the thought of seeing her again, it had been such a long time.

The slayer was just regaining consciousness as the monk broke free of the nekomata and began yelling behind him as he tried to run in the direction that the hanyou, Inuyasha, had taken the girl. I then ran to where he was and pinned him to a tree before he even had time to lose his breath. "If I were you" I began softly as a threat. "I would listen to what I have to say." A fang peaked out in my smile as I saw his eyes grow large in fear. Unfortunately for him he tried to use the cursed arm he possessed to suck me in. In response I decided to give his arm a slight squeeze so that he would understand the position he was in. "Don't think that you can destroy me with a mere portal, boy" I spat venomously as I felt the bones in his arm bend beneath my grip.

"You're a monster," he said through gritted teeth as he tried in vain to remove my hand from his arm. I turned my crimson eyes to him. If we were at peace, perhaps I would have behaved differently. Though there was no peace to be found until the jewel was found and destroyed.

Power, dark power, flowed from my fingers that were lax at my side as I held on to him. I let it creep towards his eyes until it painfully seeped into them and turned them black. After a second his body fell to the ground into a kneeled position as his left arm dangled lifelessly at his side. I then retrieved my power from him and knelt down to be eye level with the monk. "I am no monster," I said as his terrified eyes locked with mine. "The one beyond my barrier is the true monster," a hint of anger filled my voice as I recalled the betrayal that had happened to myself and my people that led to where we are today.

I felt the rest of the group headed this way when the monk decided to speak some bold words. "If you harm them," he spat at me in the most threatening tone he could muster. "I will kill you."

"I have no intention of killing or harming you and your companions any more than I have already," I informed him. I didn't have time for threats and explanations. "You all have a role to play in the upcoming war." As much as I would like to prevent it from happening, I am unable to do so. No matter how many times I cross my barrier I am unable to find _him._

"Miroku!" the young slayer called out as she attempted to lift up her heavy weapon and come to the aid of the monk. The fox kit held a ball of green fire that kept flickering in and out of existence from fear. The nekomata was growling at me until I turned to face her. In an instant she recognized who I was and shifted down to her less threatening form.

"I have little time to explain before the hanyou's half-brother arrives," I started as I heard the sound of a very special cow come from the sky. In a bolt of lightning struck the ground and when it had dissipated stood a cow with three eyes and a bug-eyed old youkai holding a large mallet. I smiled slightly at seeing the old man, even if he was close to the same age as myself. "Master Totosai," I greeted and when he saw who I was he bowed to me in respect. It was something I had always hated, even when I was young.

"Lady Kumori," he greeted me in turn and I raised my brow at the name of my mother. It seems that he is far more informed than I had expected. I hadn't heard that name in decades, but my own name hadn't been uttered in centuries.

"You have grown old," I said bluntly before going into the reason I was here. "Lord Sesshoumaru is advancing on this location. Gather Inuyasha's sword and take his companions to him. The sword will lead the way," I ordered the old swordsmith, but before I was ever done he had already found the sword and was crying as if he had lost a child. I drew in a breath and let it out to calm myself. He had never had a sense of urgency no matter where he was.

"My sword! Look at what he did to it!" he cried over his broken creation and started to create a puddle of tears on the ground.

"You came because you sensed that something had happened, Totosai," I scolded him and remembered that there were other people that needed to be taken care of as well. "You four will have to leave with him if you value your lives. The youkai coming is not lenient towards anyone he considers below him."

"Why should we listen to you!" this time it was the fox kit who had spoken. He reminded me of the kitsune that often accompanied my mother thousands of years ago.

"You don't have to," I replied honestly and level. "But if you don't I will not be able to guarantee your safety."

"You think that simply because you are a demon you can order us around?" the slayer ground out, anger clear in her young voice.

My eyes narrowed at her boldness and the sheer lack of respect for someone who would be able to rip her throat out before she realized she was even in danger. I thought of a way to respond in order to convince them to leave this place.

"W-wait!" a small voice shouted out from where Totosai was. Unfortunately I recognized the voice as on belonging to a cowardly flea. "We should listen to Lady Kumori."

"Myoga, they won't listen to you if you don't know any of them," I said bluntly. I was getting tired of this conversation not going anywhere and these insolent and ignorant people not heeding my warning.

"Myoga?" the kit asked in a surprised tone. Luck seemed to be on their side, for now.

"Ah! Shippo," Myoga yelled and hopped to where the kit was to land on his shoulder. Afterwards they seemed to be catching up with each other and introducing the other members of the small group. Totosai was still crying over the broken sword, that I knew could be fixed, and the Inu no Taisho's son was going to arrive within the next few minutes. I was growing annoyed and irritated.

I decided to end this foolishness before it grew out of control any further and let my power bend the shadows that surrounded everyone and everything in the vicinity. I let my power flow out in a wave as it distorted the shadows into strange shapes. I watched as the faces of the young kit and humans went white with fear at the feel of my youki. "Now. Leave with the sword and find the hanyou and girl. None of you are meant to die yet, but I cannot guarantee your fate if you were to stay," I warned with narrowed crimson eyes and offered no room for discussion. There was no time left and I had had enough.

"Yes, Lady Kumori," Totosai was the one who responded. He cleared his tears with his green sleeve and gathered the sword in a cloth, then hopped onto his cow. "We should head her warning." It was all he said before he took off. Shortly after the others followed in the nekomata and I was left in the destroyed village with a dead demon, two small children and an approaching youkai whose life I had threatened.

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A/N: so how am I doing so far?

Thank you for reading!


	141. Chapter 139: A Precursor

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 139: A Precursor

Mere moments passed before the strange group of humans and demons left the carnage that was left of a small village and the demon that destroyed. Lord Sesshoumaru was approaching at a staggering speed and the hell-hound stayed behind to greet the Lord of the West. Though before he arrived she walked over to a small shed that kept the hay for village animals. Gentle sobs were heard by her through the dried vegetation. She lifted the yellowed stalks from the frightened children and knelt down to face them. "I'm sorry that this happened," she said with sorrow as the scent of blood and ashes filled her nose. "Unfortunately you have to get up and live. Take what you need and find a way," she said and then stood up to walk back to the scene of the previous battle. On her way she placed a barrier between the children and herself. What happened to them after this was not up to her and was none of her concern.

As soon as she arrived to the scene of bloody, purple chunks of flesh that scattered the battlefield Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the Western Lands waltzed out from the tree line. If the demoness looked beyond him she would have seen the young black haired girl she had encountered the last time she visited the Lord. His robes moved slightly in the wind and his silver hair swayed along with them.

The hell-hound curved her lips up into a disdainful smile and narrowed her crimson eyes when she recognized the anger and intent that laid in the golden depths of the Lord's eyes. "I suppose that I'm not the one you wished to see?" she asked; already knowing the answer. He was looking for a sword with fighting power and this demon would provide him with that.

Lord Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed and his lips were drawn in a straight line. This demon seemed to know when it was least convenient to show her face. He hated her scent. It reminded him of a time that had long since passed and was hopeless to remember. "Leave," he commanded in a dark voice.

"Now that isn't polite," she mocked then laid her hand on the dead demon's dismembered head. Her dark skin didn't contrast much against the ugly purple of the deceased demon's skin. "I suppose that you simply wanted to use this… disgusting wretch's fangs in order to forge something formidable?" she provoked and showed her sharp, white fangs from between her lips in a challenge. Their power was on differing levels and if she wanted the hell-hound would be able to win against the Lord of the West. Though that wasn't her intention, at least not at the moment.

Lord Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and the corners of his mouth tilted down at an almost unnoticeable angle. "I tire of games, Shadow Walker." The tips of his claws glowed yellow as he decided to go on the offensive. Lord Sesshoumaru reared his arm back with the elegance and danger of a snake strike and let his power flow out like a whip towards the hell-hound.

The demoness smirked and only moved when it seemed it would be too late. At the last moment she grabbed the whip that was made of youki and released her own power to engulf the attack from the Lord. Shadows crept up the vine like quickly growing vines and shattered each piece as they travelled nearly too fast to see. Just as Lord Sesshoumaru broke the connection of his youki the hell-hound disappeared from sight.

"I did not think that you would keep the girl," the voice of the demoness came from behind the Lord of the West. Lord Sesshoumaru spun around and used the same attack as he had before. This time the demoness didn't move and took the blow from the attack. The attack struck the twin swords that she kept sheathed on her back and was instantaneously dispersed when it came into contact with them. The hell-hound turned around to once again face the Lord of the West and let a sigh escape her dark lips. Crimson eyes locked with golden orbs as she frowned at her opponent. "You are weak." She stated in an unimpressed tone. "You search for strength from outside sources and refuse to look at that which lays dormant within you. You disappoint me, Sesshoumaru." She stated with ire heavily filling her voice. "To think that we have lived in the same time and I have surpassed you to such a degree. The Inu no Taisho would have felt dissatisfaction if he could see you now. I will warn you," she declared darkly with a malevolent promise hinging on her voice. Before she continued her speech she moved once more, whether it was by speed alone or she was using the shadows didn't matter, but she then stood next to Lord Sesshoumaru and whispered so that only he could hear. "Gain strength or I will take everything from you."

Lord Sesshoumaru swung his arm around to attack with poisonous power filling his claws, but all he hit was air. The hell-hound was gone. She never ha the intention to fight in earnest. Annoyance filled the air around the Lord and anger seeped into his being at the threat and disdainful insults the demoness had said. He let out a scoff and turned around to take what he had come for.

What he saw shocked him. The head of the demon that had shattered the tetsaiga was being eaten away by shadows. In a few moments it was nothing but a pile of dust amongst bits of flesh and blood. Lord Sesshoumaru's annoyance was replaced by anger directed towards the hell-hound. She had simply been buying time to destroy that which he had sought.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" a shill voice was heard and the Lord paid it no mind as a small demon came tumbling out of the underbrush to reach his master.

"Jaken." He commanded, his voice was till dark with the emotion that was running through him. He hated feeling this way and remembered the last time someone had made him feel this much. It had been so very long ago.

"Yes!" the toad shrieked as he clutched the wooden staff in his hands.

"We're leaving." Was all he said before turning away from the destroyed village and heading in a new direction. It wasn't the last he would see of the demoness and the thought of him putting her in her place after making those disrespectful comments seemed to calm him a fraction.

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A/N: ... Well I'm glad how this chapter turned out!

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you are enjoying the story!


	142. Chapter 139: Extra Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not (and probably never will) own Inuyasha.

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I wonder... I wonder if you remember when we first met? Maybe I'm just simply can't remind you of that time.

After all, I've changed a lot. I've grown cold and cunning.

I may seem strong, but I am desperately trying to keep what I feel inside from showing. The pain.

The pain is as sharp as when I first felt it. A deep seated wound that refuses to close and continues to fester.

I wonder if you would remember when we were younger, when we were naïve and had hearts that were still mostly whole?

I look into your cold eyes and I convince myself that you don't remember that time before it all fell apart.

When we were free from fate, when we were still innocent...

"Heh," its a sick amusement to ever think of us as innocent when we each have blood that stains our hands. Scars that warp our souls and the cruelty of life that has stolen our hearts.

The similarities between you and I are staggering...

I can see the pain beyond your cold eyes that try to simply portray unforgiving power. I try to retain the same look.

But we can't forget the shadows of our past as they claw at our the fringes of our existence.

I wonder if you remember, it was over a millennia in the past, the color that filled our world and the warmth of emotions we felt?

I wish I could wonder, but as I stare into your eyes I can see that you don't...

The memories that you don't hold makes it easier for me to play my role. It makes it more believable and my power more real, but the pain stays the same.

Because I still remember the day we met over a millennia and a half ago when we made the promise that neither of knew we would never keep.


	143. Chapter 140: Bleak

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 140: Bleak

The remainder of Inuyasha's group was following Totosai to a location that they hoped Inuyasha would be. The events that happened not even an hour before were flashing through everyone's minds. Eventually Sango managed to form a question from the many that were floating around in her head. "Miroku," she started and made sure she had his attention.

"Yes, Sango" Miroku responded as he too was thinking about what had happened. Both with Inuyasha and the Shadow Walker. He gripped his staff tighter just remembering what had happened.

"What did that demon do?" she asked in concern, but kept her eyes on the old demon they were following.

Miroku clenched his teeth as he tried to process exactly what she had showed him and whether it was true or not. Before he responded he glanced down at the wind tunnel which he had always relied on in spite, but for an entirely different reason from Naraku. He had always thought it was a deadly void that led to black nothingness. He was wrong. Where it led was another dimension, the Shadow Realm. "She showed me something…" he finally answered the woman he so deeply cared for.

"That's not an answer Miroku," she scolded him. She was serious about this because it seemed that something bad had happened to Miroku and she was already on edge not knowing what was happening with Kagome and Inuyasha. She tried to sooth Shippo as best as she could, but he kept sniffling and shaking. She didn't like not knowing things, in fact she hated it. It made her feel helpless and alone.

If Sango had looked back she would have seen the momentary flash of concern in Miroku's eyes before he loosened his tightly drawn lips and spoke again. "She showed me an enemy. Sango…" he trailed off, not sure how to tell her the next part. What he had seen terrified him to such a degree because of the evil and hate it held in its gaze.

"What?!" she yelled out of frustration and impatience. It had been a long day and she wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. She needed honesty, even if it was brutal.

"She showed me what lies in the Shadow Realm," Miroku replied as his face twisted in fear and disgust for what he had seen. "Naraku is only the beginning, Sango." Shippo 'eeped' and began to shake even more at the prospect of something being bigger and more dangerous than Naraku.

If anyone had been paying close attention to the old demon riding his three eyed cow they would have seen him sigh and look at the sky in a slightly annoyed fashion before whispering under his breath, "Lady Kumori, you shouldn't show someone that. Especially not these mortals."

"What do you mean that Naraku is only the beginning, that and the Shadow Realm is just a stupid kids tale to scare them from running around at night," Sango said, more to convince herself than anything else. The Shadow Realm was said to be a place where Shadow Walkers lived and would drag their prey from this plane to theirs. It was supposed to be a place of horror and chaos that even upper class demons were said to be afraid of.

Miroku narrowed his eyes at the back of Sango's head. "I wouldn't lie to you about this, Sango. What that demon showed me was horrific and even if we take care of Naraku…" he trailed off, not wanting to think about starting another long and drawn out battle with an enemy. After Naraku he had hoped to live his life the way he had wanted and be those he wanted to be with. Yet if there was another battle on the horizon after this was all said and done… he didn't want to think about it. They needed to find their friends before they were put into anymore danger.

As if she was reading his mind Sango spoke up, "Listen right now we need to focus on finding Kagome and Inuyasha. After that we can figure stuff out." After that they flew for a little while longer, then landed when Totosai did the same.

"Ah~ We should stay here," the old demon said as he scratched his head and looked at everyone's serious expressions with his observant, bug eyes. The sun would be setting soon and he could feel that Inuyasha had yet to revert back to his hanyou form. It would be suicide to attempt and calm him at the moment. "I'm hungry, what's for dinner?" he asked light-heartedly with a large smile on his face that showed his fangs.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha had found a place to hide both himself and Kagome. It was an entanglement of roots at the base of an ancient tree, much like the Goshinboku near Kaede's village. Kagome was still bleeding from her injuries and her color was getting worse by the second.

Feeling annoyed with the constraints of his tattered clothes, he shed the haori and kosode and tossed to the ground next to Kagome. There were emotions and thoughts being tossed around in his mind as instincts tried to overrun everything he though or did. Yet, Kagome confused him. He could feel her leaking her power, and yet he could see her bleeding out in front of him. His demon didn't know what to make of the partial divine demon in front of him. Yet her smell was disorientingly delicious and thoughts of consuming the dying creature in front of him passed through his mind.

The human part of him wouldn't keep quiet at the thought. Inuyasha growled dangerously and looked at his delightfully bloody claws, then back at the girl. No, he wouldn't hurt her. Though there was a way to satiate his hunger for the time being, at least until he was strong enough to take complete control.

He picked up the girl and ripped what was left of the cloth that covered her and gazed hungrily at the bloody wounds that marred the girl's skin. The more he stared at them the more he hated them. Another growl escaped his parted lips as a dangerous fang made itself visible. He roughly turned her over and inspected what the condition of her back was, it wasn't any better. An annoyed and angry growl ripped its way from his throat as he clawed the soft ground next to the unconscious girl. His. This girl was His and if that demon wasn't already dead he would have killed it again.

No one, but him was meant to touch what belonged to him and she was His.

Though Inuyasha's demon was furious that someone else had touched what he deemed as 'his', he carefully started to heal Kagome's wounds the only way he knew how. He began to lick the deep gouges on her back first, then laid her on the tattered remains of robe in order to gain better access to the wounds that marred her front. He took care of all the wounds that he could see, the gouges on her back, her ankle and her hip. Though the extensive bruises seemed to be getting worse and a dangerous idea flitted through his mind.

'She is mine. She has no right to refuse,' he thought and a twisted smirk appeared on his face before he bit the inside of his cheek, hard.

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A/N: Yay! Chapter 140! BTW I took down the poll I had up until now, I figure that you will learn her name when I want you to. :)

Anyways, thank you for reading!


	144. Chapter 141: Calm the Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 141: Calm the Storm

I looked at Deysi in disbelief at the fact that she had actually slapped me and the very real pain I felt because of it. "Why did you do that? Why am I here?!" Kagome yelled at the seething hanyou in her mind.

"Calm the storm. Now." She demanded over the pounding wind and howling rain. Then a streak of lightning split the sky and gave way to the crushing sound of its thunder. I heard a howl, a feral and dangerous howl after the thunder had stopped ringing in my ears. It came from below the cliff where we stood. I ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down to see what Deysi had been looking at earlier. I paled when I saw what was pacing and snarling angrily at the pounding storm. It was monstrously large canine-like creature with red markings along the length of its body. Three drenched tails twitched in anger as its ears were pulled back against its head. It looked like some sort of wolf, but wasn't as thick and its ears were longer. Even in the darkness created by the storm I could see the razor sharp fangs that lined its mouth as it pulled its lips back in a snarl. Another streak of lightning flew through the sky and the beast howled again.

"What is that?" I said almost too quiet for me to hear. Yet I still heard the fear and panic in my voice. I didn't have time to deal with a monster running loose in my mind, I needed to get back to Inuyasha and everyone.

"She is the one you made a blood bond with. I'm surprised you don't remember," Deysi scolded me and raised one of her brows in annoyance at my ignorance. Except I didn't know what a blood bond was, nor did I know who I formed it with.

I took some breaths in to try and formulate a question and plan, but before I got around to Deysi pulled her 'mind reading' trick on me. "A blood bond is formed by exchanging blood with a youkai or hanyou and that 'thing' is protecting you. Whatever is happening outside of you is threatening," she stated coldly, but I could see the burning fury in her eyes. "Now. Stop feeling pity for something you never would have been able to do and open your eyes," she seethed in cold anger as her eyes narrowed at me and I felt a twinge of fear at her overwhelming presence. Which was weird because I had never felt that way before. No, before she was more of a mentor that held little presence in my mind, like she was a ghost. "Accept what has come to pass and move on. If you dwell on the past it will corrupt your future," for an instant during her rant I saw a shadow of deep sadness pass over her face and dwell in her silver eyes. It hit me that I really didn't know anything about Deysi, or what she went through.

The words she yelled at me were processing in my mind and I knew what she was talking about, but it was useless. Everything was my fault. "How can you just say that?! They were killed because of me!" I screamed out in pain and sorrow. This deep dark feeling of guilt settled in my stomach and it was starting to make me sick.

Deysi narrowed her eyes at me and drew her lips in a tight line. "Let me give you a valuable piece of information. This demon you are facing will use your weaknesses against you and he will take great pleasure in doing so. Now, whether you arrived at that village sooner or not would have made no difference because he would have went onto the next village and done the same thing." Her voice came out wounding calm, but I could tell that she was angry at me for thinking the way I did. Though her eyes were trained on me in such a way that I couldn't take it any other way than a challenge.

Another flash of lightening split the sky and the creature or demon below us howled in defiance once again. "I will warn you again. Calm the storm or your power and guilt will consume and tear you apart." She said in a serious manner before she walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down. The rain and wind were still battering against us and soaking us to the bone.

I walked to the edge of the cliff a little ways away from Deysi and looked out onto what I assumed was my garden. Trees were being split by lightning and snapping because of the wind. Mud was being whipped around in the air by the wind and the pond or lake which I had was turbulent with white capped waves. It was tearing itself apart, but I couldn't bring myself to care. It was strange how this feeling was starting to seep into my being. A strange and dangerous sense of satisfaction at the fact I knew I was being punished for what had happened.

"You are punishing yourself. No one blames you for what happened. Not those villagers and certainly not your friends," Deysi caught my attention as she stared at me with her silver eyes. "You are lucky you still have people to listen to you. Let the pain go and take life one at a time. No one expects you to be a saint and you have to stop believing you are one." She told me and I saw the sadness that resided in her eyes. It was something I had never seen in them before. "No one is perfect, not even Divine Demons, and life is often times terrible. So you look to those around you and know that you matter when times are tough. You have a rare ability to see things how they are, use it to guide you. Now, calm the storm." Deysi finished her rant and I thought about my family and friends. Not one of them blamed me for any wrongs I had done, in fact they were often there to help me.

At that moment it all came rushing out of me. The pain, agony and sorrow I had felt at the lives I couldn't save. I cried for the dead, I cried for my friends and I cried for myself, all the while repeating the same choked sob of 'I'm sorry'. I didn't know when the thunder and wind stopped, but by the time I opened my eyes and my throat was sore it had ceased. Only a light drizzle was escaping the still dark clouds above our heads.

"Finally," I heard Deysi say as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Now you need to wake up before he tries to blood bond you. Most don't survive the war between two blood bonds. Oh, and always listen to your instincts." She said to me and I had no idea what she was talking about, but before I knew it I was in the air and falling off the cliff. I snapped my eyes shut and willed myself to consciousness before I managed to strike the ground, even if it was in my mind.

When I was regaining consciousness my head felt fuzzy and I didn't want to open my eyes. Then I felt something soft and warm against my mouth, it wasn't until I felt something wet snake into my mouth that I snapped my eyes open. What I came face to face with were crimson and teal eyes that were terrifying and dangerous. I didn't know where I was or who this was that was undoubtedly kissing me, but I sure as hell wasn't going to sit here and wait for answers. On instinct I pulled my hands up and released a burst of my power to send whoever it was flying.

To my surprise it was Inuyasha, or at least a version of Inuyasha because I am pretty sure his eyes are not normally that color. The thing got up fast and growled before it lunged at me. I drew in a quick breath and yelled as hard as I could, "Osuwari!" To my relief he actually plummeted to the ground. In that split second before I freaked out my brain registered two things. One, there was mysteriously blood in my mouth and secondly Inuyasha wasn't injured from my blast of power. He wasn't even singed.

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A/N: so are we still confused, or are things starting to make sense again?

As always, Thank you for reading!


	145. Chapter 142: Truth

Discaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 142: Truth

You know when you smash a bug and then check to make sure it's dead, then if it twitches you smash it repeatedly? Well that's what I did with Inuyasha, I'm not proud of it. I just reacted that way. I couldn't help it. So now he was face down in the dirt in front of me after a long string of 'osuwari's'. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but I needed answers as soon as I could stop my mind from spinning out of control. Judging by the light that came from my hands and had sent Inuyasha across the room my powers were back, but for some reason they didn't have any effect on him. Which was incredibly weird because a blast like that should have burned him.

I saw an ear on top of his head twitch and took in another breath just in case I needed to say the incantation again. Inuyasha began to rise from his somewhat sunken position and I was waiting to see the glowing crimson eyes appear before I decided to start pounding him in the ground again. To my relief I saw angry golden eyes glare at me. "What the hell, wench?!" he yelled at me and I knew that Inuyasha was alright. Relief washed through me and I had the nearly uncontrollable urge to rush over to him and hug him until I was satisfied. Instead I just stared at him for a moment as I was going through all of the feelings I was having.

Unfortunately I didn't have the time to understand any of them because Inuyasha went red in the face and abruptly turned around before nearly stuttering his next demand, "Put some clothes on, dammit." I look down at myself and realize that I was wearing practically nothing. My top was gone, as were my pants and the only garment I had on were my underwear. I could feel my face heat up and I knew that I was red with a furious blush.

I frantically searched for something to wear and saw Inuyasha's robe lying beside me. I snatched it up and put it on so that I could be decent and we would be able to sort out what happened. I don't really know what had happened or even if everyone was okay. There were a lot of things that I didn't know at the moment and it was slowly eating me alive. I thought back to the time I had the nightmare and jumped into Inuyasha's arms when he woke me up. Then the fight with Yura and the temporary loss of my powers. Then there was the fact that I intentionally hurt the first person I have had romantic feelings for and lied to him. We have so much to talk about.

I looked up after I was done covering myself with Inuyasha's much too big haori and stared at the back of his head while I tried to form the right question. "Inuyasha, are you okay?" I asked as I rubbed the hem of a sleeve between my fingers. Of all the questions I could have asked I asked the one that would open the can of worms. Of course it wasn't okay, he wasn't okay and I knew that I was far from 'okay'. Yet the question held all of my worry for the hanyou in front of me. I needed to know that he was alright before I could breathe easy again. I needed to make sure this wasn't some twisted illusion that my brain concocted to keep from learning the truth. I needed to make sure that he was alive because during the battle I thought he had died.

His ear twitched, but he didn't say anything back to me. I felt fear start to make itself present as I got up and approached him. Once I was close enough I put my hand on his shoulder and turned him slightly to get a good look at him. His face was still slightly flushed and I vaguely registered that he wasn't wearing anything on the top part of his body, but that didn't matter. The important thing was that he was really here and he wasn't hurt. "You're not hurt, right?" I asked for reassurance as I stared into his warm golden eyes.

He ended up giving me his signature 'keh' and then brushed my hand off of his shoulder, "I should be askin' you that." He said to me as his flush faded and his eyes grew hard as he seemed to study me, looking for something.

I looked down at myself again and wiggled my arms about as I did an inventory check. There wasn't anything wrong with me, which was actually weird because I have never healed this fast before. Unless it had been that long. "How long was I out?" I asked and hoped that my hunch of it being a good week was wrong.

Inuyasha looked a little puzzled as he thought to how long it had been, "A few hours, I think?" He ended his sentence in the form of a question that told me he wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed.

"You think?" I said as some irritation managed to make its way into my voice. "Do you know what happened to the rest of the group?" I asked hopeful that he knew.

"I'm sure they're safe," he replied to me and I could tell that he really didn't know for sure. I could feel irritation mingling with worry as the conversation progressed on. I knew that it was just the two of us here, but I didn't know if everyone else was safe. "Wench, they're fine." The certainty in his voice put my mind at ease, even if it was a small amount.

After he had reassured me that he was in fact alive and that the rest of the gang was most likely alive, my mind wandered to other questions that needed to be answered. "What happened Inuyasha? What was that with the red eyes?"

I saw him tense up and knew that he wouldn't want to reveal what it was. I couldn't really blame him, it was somewhat terrifying to think that Inuyasha was possessed by something. I took in a deep breath and decided to steer the conversation away from that particular topic at the moment. I knew that he wouldn't want to answer. "Remember after we fought Yura I said that I didn't remember anything?" I asked and saw him nod his head yes. I could already see the judgment in his eyes as he probably knew where this was going. "Well," I started and decided to once again fiddle with the hem of his haori as it engulfed my body. "I lied. I remember everything that happened." I averted my eyes due to not really wanting to look into his, though I could still feel the heat of his glare even though I wasn't looking at him.

"Keh, so much for trust," Inuyasha muttered and I looked to see the hurt and anger that was reflected in his eyes. I didn't really want to talk after that, but I had to clear this up.

"I am sorry for hurting you. It wasn't my intention to hide that from you, but I didn't want you to know that side of me," I explained to him. "I didn't even want to know that side of me. When I was fighting with Yura I wanted to kill her."

Inuyasha scoffed again and I could tell that my explanation wasn't enough for him. "Wench, we all wanted to kill that bitch."

I swallowed and took a breath as I was figuring out how to put exactly what I had felt into words. "I don't think you understan Inuyasha. I **wanted** to kill her. I was taking pleasure in torturing her slowly and painfully. I wanted her to suffer to satisfy my own thirst for her demise. It makes me sick just thinking about it." I said to him as my mouth twisted into a disgusted frown at the memories of what I was feeling. "It felt good, Inuyasha." At this I looked back into his golden amber eyes and saw something that looked like a cross between shame and understanding. "I don't ever want to feel that again. I don't want to be that kind of person."

I waited to see what his reaction to my confession would be. His lips were pressed into a line and I could see that he was thinking about how he would respond. "Well, I guess I know how ya feel. I feel the same with what happened to me," he replied to me and it only took a moment to connect the dots to what he meant. Whatever I had seen before with the red eyes was something Inuyasha didn't want to happen again. Not that I could blame him. It seemed like we were both fighting with our own darkness at the moment.

A thought dropped into my head and before I could process its meaning it slipped through my lips, "Well, how about this. If you promise to pull me out of my darkness like you did before, then I will pull you out of yours."

Inuyasha raised a brow at the proposal and his smirk finally returned to his face. "Keh, to keep that promise," he started and leaned closer to me. "You're gonna have to stay for more than just the jewel." At his statement I could feel my face heat up, in fact my entire body was heating up at this situation I had gotten myself into. I had no idea that Inuyasha had it in him to be a flirt.

Though the moment left as soon as it began because Inuyasha quickly covered my forehead with his hand and a perplexed look overcame his face. "You have a fever, Kagome." He said and now I was the one who was confused.

It was true that I felt flushed, but calling it a fever was a little much. "Inuyasha, I have never had a fever in my entire life. I'm a quarter demon remember?" I asked just to make sure he actually remembered that little tidbit of information. Though even as I said that I started to doubt myself due to the heat that was traveling throughout my body and the sweat that was starting to form.

I looked back at Inuyasha and saw that confusion was replaced with dread and realization. "Kagome, do you have a blood bond with anyone?" he asked me seriously and I could see the concern and hope mingling in his eyes. Unfortunately what I was about to tell him wasn't what he was looking for.

"Yeah, but I don't know who they are." I said honestly as I thought about what that had to do with anything at all. My body was becoming incredibly uncomfortable due to its increasing temperature

I heard Inuyasha curse under his breath before he said he was sorry. That was last thing I heard him say before I felt the onset of pain and pieces started to fall into place. I was currently bonded to two people and the blood of each were currently at war within me.

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A/N: well I am all done with exams for this semester. Lots of stuff got in the way of me writing this story, but mostly it was writers block. I couldn't decide how I wanted this chapter to go, but I am happy about how it turned out.

I hope that you are enjoying the story so far!

Thank you for all of your support!


	146. Chapter 143: Extra Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

This is basically what happened to Inuyasha when he was taken over by his youkai. Then after he came back with the Osuwari.

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At first all I felt was the heat draining from my body and the numbing of all my senses.

I couldn't feel anything, but the growing pool of my own blood beneath me.

The last thing I smelled was the iron stench of my own blood and those that had been slaughtered before me.

My vision had gone black the moment I had hit the ground and I was no longer able to taste the metallic tang of blood on my lips.

The last thing that went was my hearing. The last thing I heard was Kagome's screams for me. I knew that she wanted me to get back up and fight. To come back, but I just couldn't.

I couldn't move anymore. I couldn't even curl my hands around my broken sword. I couldn't even yell at her to get away and run.

I couldn't do anything.

I couldn't save the woman I had sworn to protect, even if she threw herself at the feet of danger.

A dark sensation overcame me as fear was the last thing that gripped my mind.

I wouldn't be able to protect her this time, just like last time.

I couldn't protect Kikyo and I couldn't protect Kagome.

In my mind I was screaming to get up and fight. Just as I was sure Kagome was fighting now.

Thoughts raced through my mind as fear and rage consumed me whole.

I can't lose her!

I can't let her die!

I have to fight!

_I have to __**kill!**_

Before more thoughts pelted my mind with now useless feelings i was pulled into a darkness and placed inside of a cage that had been made for something stronger than myself.

Suddenly I could feel again.

I felt the rush of blood and rage as my wounds healed themselves.

It was burning through me, as if I was brought back from death's grip.

I could smell everything around me in such sharp detail it almost hurt. The stench of the demon I had felt my claws sear through and destroy. The smell of fear from those who were still alive. Then an intoxicating smell reached me and I was entranced.

The sickeningly sweet smell overcame all of the other scents that were in abundance around me. I wanted more of it.

I _needed_ more of what was making this scent.

Then my vision returned in a blur of red. A red haze that made everything go in and out of focus.

Though through the shifting gaze I could make out one thing for certain. Kagome.

I could see the power leaking from her unknowingly.

Then I felt the thirst for the first time since I was locked behind these bars.

It was consuming my entire being. The need for more. The need for power. The need to kill and feel the victims blood run down my throat.

Then I saw Kagome again.

This time I regained my voice. I screamed and yelled. I shook the bars with all of my strength to try and regain control. I could hear the growls and feel the fangs poke out above my lip as whatever had hold of my body hatched a plan.

I screamed for her not to be hurt. To not kill her and leave her be.

Rushes of blurred images was all I saw through the red haze. I heard the wind whipping past my ears as I felt the weight I was carrying.

Then came the emotions along with the insatiable thirst.

Anger, rage, annoyance and _lust._

Bloodlust, lust for power, lust for control and dominance and the lust for something which was not mine to take.

I rattled the bars of my prison as I felt the thing which had overtaken me 'tend' to her wounds.

It had another purpose.

It was the only one who could leave a mark on her, even it was to rip out her heart.

At first I couldn't hear what it was thinking over the drowning screams and curses I was using to try and stop what it was intending.

Then I did and a deep sense of dread overcame me.

mine. Mine. MINE. _MINE. __**MINE. **__**MINE!**_

It was echoing around me like a monsoon crashing against the shore's feeble resistance.

I couldn't stop the terrifying mantra from repeating, gaining noise with each word.

It was deafening.

Fear was gripping me as that word was drowning out any word I could put up in resistance to what _it _had planned.

Then I was ripped from my barred prison and taken back to the world I belonged in.

I felt the dirt on my face and looked up in the dark night at Kagome's unsure and fearful face. Then I regained my taste.

The sweet, metallic and addicting taste of her blood mixed with my own coated my tongue and nearly overwhelmed my senses.

It took only a moment to know what I had done.

The guilt, fear and shame clouded my mind. Yet, behind it all was a sadistic satisfaction at the entire situation. I had essentially chained Kagome to myself until the day I die.

It is unchangeable. The art to destroy the bond I have forced onto the two of us had been lost to time.

That wicked mantra kept repeating in the back of my mind like a sick joke. Mine.

Kagome was never mine, not like this.

She was mine to trust.

She was my friend.

She was mine to protect.

But now, she is mine in a way I never meant her to be.

She wishes to be in the future, but now I have chained her to myself and the past that we are walking in.

Now, she is mine to claim if I so wish her to be.

Sadistic satisfaction seared through my mind at the knowledge that no one would be able to touch her, but me.

She is mine, but not how I wish her to be...


	147. Chapter 143: Growing Pains

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 143: Growing Pains

There not much to describe the current scene between the people in Inuyasha's group besides anger and irritation. There was Kagome, who wasn't thrilled about her current predicament with the blood warring inside of her. Besides the terrible fever and cramps that made menstrual cramps feel like picking flowers she had to deal with her powers going out of control without a notice. Not to mention the fact that she was blood bonded to the hanyou of her affections without her permission. Now, that fact did not amuse anyone in the group currently. Miroku who was beginning to look at Kagome as something like a sister or student was currently glaring daggers at Inuyasha for what had happened and what he had done to Kagome. Sango had her back turned to Inuyasha so that she wouldn't do anything to him at the moment. She felt that it was a complete invasion of privacy and that he took a something away from Kagome when he did what he did. Shippo was upset that Kagome was in pain and Myoga was giving Inuyasha a lecture in his ear about how he should have got rid of Kagome before any of this happened and made their lives more complicated. Finally there was Inuyasha. It was just his luck that this was happening during his time of weakness and he didn't have a sword because Totosai needed to repair it. 'Damn bastard took my tooth,' Inuyasha thought angrily as he sat in the middle of an angry circle completely human.

It had been two days since the incident with Naraku's demon Goshinki and everyone was in a recuperating state before they went back on their journey to the slayer village. Though Inuyasha was getting tired of the terrible atmosphere surrounding them and aimed at himself. A vein popped on his head as he glared right back at the glares that were directed at him. Though with his human eyes, he knew that the effect had been severely handicapped. Dark blue eyes don't have nearly the same impact as piercing gold. He tapped his finger on his crossed arm and immediately registered the absence of claws that were normally there. Beyond the fire that was situated in the middle of their group little, but darkness of night could be seen. He hated being human and he hated being the reason for everyone's anger when he was human. This was one of the reasons that he hated being around people. "I hate the damned silent treatment. If you want to say some shit then do it," he fumed to the group.

Miroku turned to Kagome, "Lady Kagome I suppose that you should have the honors of the first lashing." It was said in Miroku's gentlemanly tone that he would often use, but it was simply covering up the anger that he held at the current situation.

Kagome smiled sweetly at the monk and responded in a sweet tone. "Oh, I'm sure that he knows _exactly _how I feel." Her face showed no pain, but she was clutching her sides in an attempt to make herself feel better. Her skin was just as flushed as it had been when the blood within her started warring and the fever had started. She was wearing an old, black tank top and exercise shorts because she was still sweating as if it was the dead of summer in the Sahara, but a jacket was lying beside her in case she ever felt chilled. Unfortunately being chilled happened more often than she wished and she quickly picked up the jacket to put it on.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Kagome," Sango said over her shoulder with a voice filled with ire. Inuyasha stiffened where he sat. It was something that he had hoped Kagome wouldn't find out about. Even though they were bonded by his demon blood he was currently human.

"Oh?" Kagome said with a scowl on her face and slight insanity flashing in her eyes. "What would make you say that Sango?" Kagome asked with her shining, fake smile.

"Well," Sango began icily. "He is currently human, so the demon blood that is the necessary component of the bond is currently… sleeping. Then there is the fact that the two different bloods are warring within you and until the dispute is settled and one is eradicated the bond will not completely form." Sango's explanation was done while she remained facing in the opposite direction of Inuyasha and one hand tapping rapidly against her arm. She was currently wearing her kimono, but her anger and threatening demeanor were not lessened at all. In fact it made it worse since she wasn't wearing her clothes for battle, but she was still very agitated.

Kagome listened to Sango's explanation and then glared at Inuyasha, who was looking away purposely. "I hope that your blood wins," Kagome said in a sweet and innocent tone, which caused Inuyasha to turn around and look at her to see if she was indeed sincere. Unfortunately the sweet and forgiving look he was hoping for was not present. Instead a dark expression made itself home on Kagome's face as her mouth quirked up into a wicked smile.

Inuyasha's amber eyes widened at the expression that full of a promise he never wanted. "That way, I can _show _you **exactly **how I feel right now." Her voice was with dark intention and anger.

Instead of being scared at the threat Inuyasha knit his brows together and glared at Kagome. "Wench, you know damn well that it was outa my control." He huffed as he crossed his arms in front of himself. Kagome knew that he wasn't exactly in control of himself when he did what he did, but she didn't know that he remembers exactly what his youkai had thought when he had claimed her. Inuyasha clenched his teeth remembering the crude and barbaric way of thinking his youkai had. He didn't like it and he didn't like the way it felt when he had turned.

"I fully understand that aspect, but what pisses me off is the fact that it was simply done on a whim or instinct. It is as if it has absolutely no meaning besides being a tether for me." Kagome seethed as she returned Inuyasha's glare with the same intensity. In turn, Inuyasha avoided her eyes. She was partially right in her assumptions, but he didn't have the heart to tell her.

A sigh escaped Kagome's lips both from exasperation and relief. The pains were starting to fade, even if just a little from before, but the irrationality of the situation remained the same. "If you had done it for a different reason, then maybe I could forgive you," Kagome said as sadness and anger mixed together on her face. "If you had felt any kind of feelings of 'like' or 'love', then I could understand, but what you did is hard to forgive. It's hard, because you wouldn't do this to Sango or Miroku who are your friends," Kagome reasoned out loud and Inuyasha wanted to stop her, but he didn't have the words to do so. He still couldn't figure out exactly what Kagome was to him. Her voice brought his attention back to her and he saw the look of betrayal cross her face. "Which means that you don't see me as a friend." At that statement Kagome got up and grabbed her blanket.

"How the hell would you know that?!" Inuyasha yelled and started to get up to go after her and stop her from leaving, even if he had no idea where she was planning to go.

Kagome turned and looked him dead in the eyes with her chocolate brown orbs, "I would like to think I know the man I have feelings for." That sentence stopped him dead in his tracks and he looked at Kagome with wide eyes. He couldn't believe that he heard. It caused a strange feeling to well up in his chest, but at the same time it hurt. The look on her face made it painful.

He noticed that she was walking away again, "W-where are you goin'?" he questioned Kagome. He couldn't protect her when he was human and he didn't know what was out there.

"Somewhere to collect my thoughts away from you. I need to go somewhere before I say something I'll regret." The flatness of her voice was strange and unsettling. Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it when he realized he would only make the situation worse if he spoke. He bit the inside of his mouth as he tried to keep himself from grumbling at the absurd situation he had gotten them into and he had no idea how to fix it.

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A/N: Well this is going to get interesting...

Anyways thank you for reading and supporting this story!


	148. Chapter 144: Feelings

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 144: Feeling

It was the third day after Totosai had taken Inuyasha's broken sword and one of his teeth. Fortunately his tooth grew back fast, which was amazing. Though right now the tension in the air is nearly killing me. I practically confessed to him when he was human last night and I did it in front of everyone. Which managed to throw my mind into a cartwheel of nonsense about how I completely messed up. Or about how I was going to convince Inuyasha that what I said had no real deep meaning, but then again I wasn't really great at hiding my feelings. I had a tendency to show what I was thinking on my face, which is why it was amazing that I was able to pull off what I had with the Thunder Brothers.

Then there was the good news and bad news. The good news is that I now only have a fever left and the pains were gone so the 'war' going on inside of my veins is cooling off. Then comes the bad news; Inuyasha seems to be studying my every move as if I was about to grow a second head. The worse news is that I can feel the tingle of a small group of jewel shards a little ways away, but I don't know if it belongs to one of Naraku's goons. Although the only one who knew that there were a few jewel shards close, or at least within my 'sensing' distance was me. Not to mention everything else that has happened to turn my once normal life upside down and inside out. It is almost comical that I hadn't truly believed that there were demons or other existences other than human before my eighteenth birthday and now it has been about two months since then. So much has happened in that time it nearly makes my head spin. Nearly dying many times, making enemies, finding out that I'm not human and not to mention finding out I have feelings for Inuyasha and practically confessing. I thought that this whole 'love' thing wasn't supposed to happen so fast.

Then there was the fact that I had fallen for a hanyou of a different time from the one I had to live in. I still don't understand how I managed to do that because I think I only flirted with him once, and I was pissed. In hindsight I don't think that time counted as flirting. Thinking about my feelings I have just seems to make my head hurt in how much they don't make sense.

I sigh and rest my head against my arms as they sat crossed on top of my knees. I hear Inuyasha scoff and I tilt my head up to see him still studying me, but with some amusement floating in his amber eyes. I glare at him from where I am, "Shut up dog-boy, I was thinking." I declared in an annoyed tone that was muffled by my arms as I refused to move from my comfortable position.

I saw him raise an eyebrow in speculation and I could practically see the smart ass comment forming on his face. "Well then maybe you shouldn't be thinking, Wench." He even said it with his tell-tale smirk that was plastered on his face. I was glad that he was at least having fun in this situation because Miroku was currently restraining Sango from hurting Inuyasha.

This time I did raise my head and decided to continue the argument he seemed to so desperately want at this point. "Like you have any room to talk. I can practically see steam coming out of your ears when you start to think, dog boy." Correction, I think this is the closest we will ever get to flirting at this point. Although we at least didn't give each other nicknames like buttercup or snowflake. It is strange how 'wench' has become something I have accepted as not being a demeaning name anymore.

A chuckle from Miroku and a dry laugh from Sango caused Inuyasha to glare at me even more than he was before. "Keh, I'm not the one who is always getting into trouble." As he said this he decided to stand up, as if it would give him an advantage in the argument.

I heard shuffling from feet and things scraping against the ground as Sango picked up her weapon and Miroku 'tried' to stop her from being rash. I just ignored them and took the bait Inuyasha so nicely provided. I could fight my own battles and I preferred it, "Oh, really? Well if I didn't get into trouble then you would still be stuck to a tree." I retorted as I pulled out one of the few cards I had which worked against what he had just said. At this point I was standing up with my hands on my hips and attitude etched into all of my features.

"Keh, you were a klutz then, too." He said with a smirk and I couldn't help get the feeling that he was enjoying himself with this silly argument. Miroku and Sango were doing something in the background, but I didn't really care what it was at the moment. I never back down from a fight, it was something that Inuyasha and myself have in common.

I crossed my arms in front of me and placed most of my weight on one foot. "Yeah and you are a hot head that follows even the dumbest urges." I retorted back at him, while hiding my own relief that we would still be able to be like we were before he decided to bond me to him by way of his blood. I was still upset about that.

"Keh! Name one time," he scoffed at me and I could see that I was starting to get under his skin.

Just a little more and I would prove my point, or at least win the argument. Before I thought about what I was saying the words had already left my mouth and there was no way to take them back. "Oh really? Then what happened three nights ago?"

I had no idea what possessed me to say that because I knew that it wasn't what Inuyasha wanted, but what his youkai had. I also knew that Inuyasha didn't have complete control of himself at that point in time. I had some semblance of how he felt about his youkai side and yet I had to go and say something stupidly insensitive all for the sake of my stubbornness. Then again I am still somewhat pissed about what happened so I do have an idea why I said what I did.

Inuyasha's smirk was wiped from his face and I vaguely heard someone suck in a breath from behind us. I saw pain fill Inuyasha's face as he turned his eyes away from mine and his ears press against the top of his head. His claws were clenched tightly against his arms and I thought they would draw blood from the pressure he was using. "I'm sorry," I said in sincerity. I hadn't meant to hurt him, nor did I want to.

"Keh, you shouldn't apologize, Wench. I deserve it." He said and I felt guilty for what I had said, even though I was still upset about how it had happened.

I walked up to Inuyasha and laid a hand on one of his, which caused him to look me in the eyes. "No you don't. You didn't have control over yourself at that time, so I shouldn't blame you. Besides it is in the past and there is nothing we can do about it now." I said and tried to put on a reassuring smile so that Inuyasha wouldn't blame himself any more than he already was because I knew he was miserable. "So there is sense in being angry about it anymore."

At my words Inuyasha's eyes softened and he let out a dry chuckle. "Heh, you have too nice of a heart for your own good, wench." He said with a smirk that I hadn't seen yet. Without him knowing it made my heart beat faster and I froze up entirely because I had absolutely no idea how to handle the situation at this point. Then from the distance there was a 'moo' and a blast of lightning landed Totosai on the back of his cow in the middle of our camp. I was saved by the cow.

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A/N: I need to keep reminding myself that Kagome is 18. She is still a teenager and I am an author trying to write romance with next to zero experience in that field. Well, we'll see how it goes.

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you will read the next chapter.


	149. Chapter 145: Return to Sender

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 145: Return to Sender

I don't think I was ever so happy to see a three eyed cow in my life. When I saw the way that Inuyasha looked at me, I could feel my inner high school girl come out shut down every part of my brain that was still functioning. I still don't understand how Inuyasha managed to do that with a damned smirk. Lucky for me, once Totosai arrived his attention was directed towards the seemingly senile youkai. Which I was thankful for, but another problem soon reared its head.

"It's about damned time, old man!" Inuyasha scoffed as his spirits seemed to be lifted with the sight of his sword in one piece. It was good news for all of us, since Inyasha was the strongest one of us. Not that I would **ever **admit that out loud; his ego didn't need the extra boost.

Totosai was scratching the back of his head as he ignored Inuyasha's insults and somewhat pushy behavior. I was too busy watching the exchange between the two to notice Sango come up behind me with Kirara perched on her shoulder. "I don't think that your red face is because of the fever anymore." She said bluntly and I was startled at both her presence and her words.

Ignoring her words and trying to compose myself I decided try using sarcasm as a distraction to the topic I knew she wanted to discuss. "Are you sure you're not a ninja?" I asked her in a somewhat joking manner. It was one of many ways to get on her nerves because she would always adamantly say that she wasn't a ninja.

She turned her head to face me and gave me an annoyed expression before responding how I had predicted. "I am Not a ninja," she hissed at me with narrowed eyes then sighed through her nose as if to clear her head. "So does he know how you feel about him, or is still as dense as ever?" she asked me and looked at me through the corner of her eye; letting me know that I was not getting out of this conversation.

I sighed and resigned myself to the conversation. "Still as dense as ever, but I don't really mind," I said to her. It would be nice for him to feel the same for me, but at the same time I don't mind taking my time. "I want to try and figure things out because I've never felt this way before. It's kinda weird." I said with a small smile on my face as I rubbed my one arm out of embarrassment.

"I haven't either," Sango said with a somewhat wistful tone, but then her eyes snapped wide in realization as to what she had just said. "That's not what I meant! I meant that I haven't ever felt those feelings." She muttered to me and I could see the small blush on her face.

I stared at her with a flat expression on my face. "I call bull shit." I said with the same look on my face and she looked at me with confusion written all over her face.

"What?" Sango asked as she didn't completely understand what I was getting at.

My earlier expression slipped as I felt a smile creep onto my face, "You have a thing for Miroku."

I saw Sango's eyes go wide as I said her 'secret' out loud, but then a sad expression came over her features. "Well, even if I do exactly what am I supposed to do?" she asked me as she looked at me with pain and sorrow in her eyes. I had forgotten that she had tried to kill Miroku in order to bring her brother back. "I tried to kill an innocent man who was trying to help me in order to bring my brother back. Now looking back I know that Naraku would have just killed me or let me suffer for what I had done."

I felt sympathy for Sango and what she had gone through. I would never know that pain, but I also knew that what she was suggesting was a lie. "Sango, I believe that everyone deserves to be happy. Even the bad guys. Everyone deserves happiness just as they deserve to live." I told her as I looked forward, not really looking at anything; though I was thinking of all the lives I had ended with my own hands and those I had a hand in ending. "The only problem is that not everyone gets what they deserve. You have to work it out for yourself, but I think that you should try," I encouraged her. If anyone in our group deserved happiness after what has happened with the jewel it was Sango.

To my surprise Sango snickered at me and I looked her in a confused manner because I didn't think I had said anything funny. "You amaze me sometimes Kagome. You act like someone younger then you can say something wise. It makes me forget that you are older than myself sometimes." Sango said with a warm smile on her face. There was still some pain in her eyes, but now there were brighter emotions alongside it.

I smiled brightly back and was about to say something, but then I heard Inuyasha yell, "What the hell, Old Man? Whadya do to my sword?!" We both looked over to see what was happening and it didn't look unusual at first, but on a closer look it proved to be a problem. Inuyasha had his sword drawn and was glaring at Totosai, who was scratching the side of his head as if he had nothing to do with the problem at hand.

The problem was that the sword Totosai had repaired was not in its original condition. Unfortunately he had repaired and returned it heavier than it had been before. Inuyasha was spouting curses at the old youkai for what he had done to his sword as he just kept it in one hand and rested the blade against the ground. I didn't realize how heavy it was until he had trouble lifting it to have it rest on his shoulder. With tetsaiga barely usable we were all in trouble. It would make it harder to fight and make it harder for my secret to be kept from Sango.

I clenched my teeth as I thought about that last bit. I needed to tell her, but how exactly are you supposed to tell a demon slayer that you are part demon and it just so happens to be Divine Demon at that. I could feel the guilt at the fact that she didn't know, but now was not the best time to tell Sango. We had more pressing problems to deal with.

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A/N: I promise that I know what I am doing! They will make it to the slayer village... eventually...

Thank you for reading! :)


	150. Chapter 146: Detour

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 146: Detour

Our problematic situation came with good news and bad news. The good news was that Inuyasha's sword could be fixed. The bad news, we had to take a substantially long detour away from the slayer village to get to where we needed to go. It felt like we were being kept away for some reason or another, but we still needed to go to the village. It may hold some answers to my questions about myself and the jewel.

I sighed as I rode on Inuyasha's back because 'humans are weak' or something like that. I had to keep up appearances, but I was wondering if it was really worth the trouble to keep Sango the only one in the dark about my heritage. Inuyasha definitely thought it was right to keep secrets and I haven't talked about it with Miroku.

"What was that for, Wench?" Inuyasha asked over his shoulder as he continued in the direction that Myoga was directing him. It would take at least three days to get there and get back on the path to the Slayer Village.

"Nothing," I said absentmindedly as I thought of what I was going to do with my current predicament. "Just thinking."

"Well you should do it quieter." Inuyasha replied curtly. I had no idea what had him in a sour mood. It could be a multitude of things ranging from his sword, the jewel and what happened between myself and him.

If hearing his annoyance and frustration wasn't enough I could actually faintly feel it. I had learned, but didn't want to mention, that Inuyasha's blood had been victorious. This was not really a good thing. From what I have learned of blood bonds strong emotions can be felt by the partner, just as well as pain and pleasure. Neither of which I would like to try out anytime soon. Though these can only be felt if they are in a heightened or magnified state and this meant that Inuyasha was probably tearing himself apart inside due to the frustration at whatever he was thinking about.

The other perks of a blood bond was to make each party more powerful. This meant that our lifespans would be the same, whoever's lifespan is longer, and each party is immune to any attacks that are power based from the opposing side of the bond. Which explains why my purification powers don't work on him anymore. The strange thing is that now Miroku's don't either, he tried. A weird tidbit is that now I have a better sense of smell and I can definitely tell that Inuyasha's robes need a wash. Bad.

"When was the last time you washed this?" I asked him as I pulled on his robes with one hand in a joking manner to try and get his mind off of what he was thinking.

"I don't think this is the time, Wench." Inuyasha said in the same short manner as before.

"Well, excuse me for trying to make small talk," I scorned in a sarcastic manner. "Not all of us enjoy brooding silence." I rested my head on his shoulder and let his silver hair tickle my cheek. One of these days I'll get to play with his hair, but today was not going to be it. As we headed to our destination I started to feel two very different sensations. One was from a jewel shard coming from the direction we were headed in. The second was an uncomfortable tightening sensation in the same spot where the jewel was taken from my body. I decided to ignore them for now. We already had one problem to solve before we headed to the Slayer Village and I didn't want to compound the problem.

Unfortunately both of the feelings were growing stronger and I knew that I wouldn't be able to ignore them even if I tried. I could see a village in the distance before an impressive expanse of forest. "Inuyasha," I groaned.

I felt him sigh before he spoke, "What is it, Wench." He sounded annoyed, which made me even more annoyed at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"I feel a jewel shard close by." I said in a flat tone. I really didn't want to hunt down a piece of the jewel because I felt as if we were getting farther and farther away from the answers I wanted.

To my sruprise there were no curses or blaming me for not telling him sooner, instead I received a curt reply and muscles tensing beneath my fingertips, "Where?"

"Somewhere in the forest. I saw a village just before it starts to get thick with vegetation. WE can get some information there about it, but I don't think it has anything to do with Naraku this time." I said and I hope that it would ease the uneasiness I could fell from Inuyasha. Though I was wrong because I could still fell his tensed muscles under his robes as well as the faint frustration that I knew wasn't my own.

He didn't verbally respond to me, but simply nodded his head in agreement and slightly changed his course to heading towards the village, much to Myoga's annoyance. The coward simply didn't want to be anywhere near danger. Sango, Miroku and Shippo followed us on Kirara as we set down on the outskirts of the village to ensure we weren't walking into a trap.

"Lady Kagome, why have we stopped here?" Miroku asked as he hopped off of Kirara's back.

"I feel the presence of a jewel shard in the forest beyond this village," I replied to his question and saw Sango duck out of view to change into her slayer gear. Since it was going to take us so long to get to where Inuyasha could fix his sword, she saw no need to be dressed for battle the entire time.

A sly smile crossed Miroku's face and before I knew it he went after Sango. Before I yelled at Miroku for what he was doing I felt Inuyasha grab my wrist and pull me in the direction of the village. "C'mon, Wench. The sooner we get to the village the sooner we can get the jewel. The slayer can fend for herself," he said as he pulled me along and not even a minute after we started walking there was a loud slap that sent birds flying as Sango yelled at Miroku for his perverted antics. I had to smile at that; at least I know that some things will never change.

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A/N: All right! This chapter is done, it really gave me a lot of trouble.

I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for reading!


	151. Chapter 147: What's Going On?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

I am very happy that this story now has 200 reviews and over 150 favorites and follows. It really makes me happy that so many people are enjoying the story that I am writing. So thank you for your support thus far, because we have a long way to go! :)

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Chapter 147: What's Going On?

When we all arrived at the village the strangest thing happened. We were welcomed like heroes coming back from war, even Inuyasha and Shippo were welcome and it set everyone on pins and needles. Nothing about this situation was normal or even remotely sane. A feast was being prepared in our honor, but we had done nothing to deserve such treatment.

"What is going on?" I voiced out as people started to surround us again to 'get ready' for the feast. I looked over to Sango for help in this situation because through the commotion and confusion we were lead away from the guys, much to Sango's and Inuyasha's unwillingness. The only one in this situation who was enjoying themselves was Miroku. The last I saw of him, he was surrounded by giggling village girls.

A young girl, maybe a few years younger than myself, spoke up about my asked question because Sango was being overwhelmed by the attention she was being given. "You have come to help us! We were instructed to show you respect and be gracious hosts."

"Ah!" I hear Sango shout above the women fussing over her and pulling her into a hut. "Don't touch! No not there!" She shouted and I could hear the embarrassment in her voice as she was surrounded by worrying and shushing women alike. I didn't want to think about what was going on with Sango or what was going to happen to me.

I was being rushed into a hut just next to the one Sango was dragged into and as soon as I was past the doorway I felt a hand tugging on the hem of the pants I was wearing. I squeaked in embarrassment and swatted the hand away as I spun around. "What are you doing?!" I said a little louder and higher pitched than I intended to.

The same girl who had answered me earlier stood in front of me with a confused and hurt expression on her face. "I am simply helping you to get out of your strange clothing so that you may enjoy your bath before the feast," she said to me in a meek manner as she averted her eyes.

I blinked for a moment until words came to my mind, "Thank you." I said to her and she looked up at me with her dark brown eyes that held happiness at my gratitude. "But, I can undress myself and clean myself. Though you can answer some of my questions," I said and all of the girls in the hut looked at me with dejection in their features. I sighed before asking my first question, "Who told you to act this way?"

"I did," a young, yet strong voice answered my question. I turned around and saw a young woman standing in the doorway. She was wearing the traditional Miko clothing or red and white. Her hair was dark brown with a red tint and was arranged in a strange manner. Her almond eyes seemed wise and kind.

The young girl looked to see the Miko standing there and recognition lighted her features. "Lady Enju!" she addressed the young woman in a formal manner that was accompanied by a bow.

Lady Enju smiled, "There is no need for such formalities, Mikaru." She said this and the girl who had been bowing before stood up and then moved to the side. "I suppose that you are surprised and confused for what has transpired thus far?" she asked me.

"Yeah, just a little," I said with heavy sarcasm in my voice. After being separated from everyone and an attempt to strip me of my clothing I wasn't in the best of moods. Besides something still felt weird about all of this.

"I will explain everything at the banquet, but I can assure you that we have no malicious intentions." She said and turned to leave me in the hut with the rest of the young women.

"Yes, but you still have intentions," I countered and I saw her smile as she looked over her shoulder. It was an amused smile that was used by my best friend Kara in the future, when people would challenge her. Lady Enju thought that this would be fun, well apparently she never met Inuyasha.

Speaking of whom I could hear him making his way through the village. "Kagome!" I heard him yell, but it was strange because it wasn't in his normal commanding voice. I was praying that he wouldn't come here because I wasn't dressed completely at the moment. When Lady Enju had left, she took all but the girl named Mikaru with her. I had learned that Mikaru was younger than I had thought; she was only just 14 years old.

"Kagome!" I heard him yell again, except this time he was closer and I knew that my prayers would not be answered this time.

He was going to come barging into this hut in a matter of moments and the yukata that had been left for me to put on before I bathe was still not tied. I hastily tied the front closed with loose knot. "Mikaru, thank you for helping me, but we are about to have company." I said this just in time for Inuyasha to come running through the doorway and immediately hiding behind me.

Though when he came through the door I noticed that his hakama were only being held up by his free hand and his under shirt was untucked and untied. He was entirely missing his haori. I could only imagine that he and Miroku were suffering the same disrobing fiasco I had gone through. I also doubted that Sango was free from the same ordeal because of what she had said before entering into the adjacent hut.

"Hide me!" he pleaded with me and I just stood there trying to make sure the Yukata I had put on wasn't going to slip off of my shoulders and be pulled to ground with his claws. Maybe in the distant future we could pull a stunt like that, but right now is not the time, place nor anywhere near the right mindset.

I could feel myself blushing at my thoughts, the situation and Mikaru. The poor girl was beet red and I could tell that she had no idea what to do in this situation, not I did. "Let go Inuyasha and get out!" I half yelled in anger and embarrassment.

"No way in hell! Those crazy hags were trying to steal my clothes!" he hissed at me and I could feel him hold onto the Yukata with a stronger grip.

"And you're about to steal mine!" I yelled at him with a red face, hoping that he would get the message.

He looked down and saw me desperately trying to keep the front of the yukata closed and the sleeves at least on one shoulder. I saw his face glow red as realization seemed to hit him like a brick. His hands left my yukata as if they had just touched a hot stove. "Sorry," he said under his breath.

At this moment Mikaru decided to speak up. She was still as red in the face as she had been when this whole fiasco started, but as she started speaking she became redder than before. "Um… If we had known about you two then we could have made better accommodations…" she mumbled and I wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that.

"What?" Inuyasha asked as he looked in Mikaru's direction genuinely confused by both what she said and her presence. He apparently didn't see her when he came barging in without an invitation.

"Well," Mikaru began as she rubbed the hem of her sleeve between her fingers. "If we had known that you two were married then we could have made it so that you shared the same hut." She said as embarrassment laid heavy in her voice and her face stayed red.

My eyes grew wide at her insinuation and I could feel the blush return to my face. In an ironic fashion both Inuyasha and myself denied her claims at the same time.

**"We're not married!"**

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Thank you for reading :D


	152. Chapter 148: Preparations

Discaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 148: Preparations

It was closer to nightfall now and none of us had gathered many answers to our questions. I knew that the Miko of the village was the one in charge of this whole ordeal and that she had known we were coming for some time. It was strange that she had known about our arrival, but I assumed it had something to do with the jewel shard that was in the forest beyond the village.

We all sat down in the center of the village as the feast was in its final preparations. As strange as everything was, it was nice to have something to laugh at. Miroku was flirting with the young women of the village, rather he was trying to. Sango was always nearby to reign him in. As much as I am sure he enjoys flirting with the women I'm sure he also enjoys having Sango fuss over him. Though her 'fussing' is more like punishment than anything else.

Everyone was dressed in the best clothes they owned and we were presented with different clothes for the feast as well. Miroku was lent a robe that was similar to the one he always wears. Sango was given a dark pink kimono to wear with simple white swirls as the design on the cloth. A dark orange obi was wrapped around her waist. Similar to hers, mine was equally simple. The kimono I was given to wear was dyed dark blue with light pink flowers decorating the bottom and sleeves. The obi around my waist was a dark red, only a few shades darker than Inuyasha's robe of the Fire rat. Then there was Inuyasha, who was not happy about the change of attire. He was wearing a cream yukata underneath a dark blue vest with grey hakama. He looks good in blue, but I like red on him even better.

I was grateful that he wasn't as frustrated as he was before; the feelings I have are completely my own. Though I could still tell that he was annoyed and confused about the recent events. "What the hell is going on?" he grumbled under his breath as he sat next to me. His hands were in his sleeves, the same way he does when he wears his robe of the Fire rat.

"I'm not sure, but we haven't been attacked yet and everyone here seems friendly," I replied to his irritated question.

Then, as if on cue, a slap was heard ringing through the air. "Pervert!" Sango yelled and I looked over to see Miroku was sporting a red handprint on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. I shook my head in amusement and caught Inuyasha saying 'stupid monk' under his breath.

Sango moved from where she was and sat next to Shippo, who was sitting next to me. Lucky for Shippo, he was spared from the embarrassment of having his clothing nearly stripped from him. He had simply been surrounded by the village kids and ran around with Kirara at his side the whole time. In fact Shippo was talking about how much fun he had with the village kids. They had played games all day and he had won some of them. It amazes me at how comfortable Shippo is around others, I wish that the whole world was as accepting as he is. He doesn't see the lines that separate society that the rest of us do.

I smiled warmly at him as he kept retelling his recent adventures of the day, all the while using hand gestures with every word that flew from his mouth. His green eyes were bright with pride and lingering excitement. A feeling that I rarely ever got welled up inside of me, like warm bubbles floating up to the surface. I felt a sense of pride for the small fox demon sitting next to me, but along with it I felt a deep and warm love rising up. I felt my smile grow larger on my face as the feelings welled up; I suppose that this is what it feels to be a mother.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed and gained Shippo's attention. "And you call yourself a youkai, you shoulda won all of 'em." He said with a smirk that showed his fang peeking out. I looked at his eyes to tell what he was thinking, or at least trying to figure it out. His golden eyes were lighted with amusement and an emotion that was unknown to me. He wasn't being malicious, but he was egging Shippo on.

"Kagome!" Shippo whined and I knew that he wanted me to use the beads against Inuyasha, but given our circumstances I thought it wouldn't be right. I saw Mikaru watching us with amusement in her eyes. She had told me that she wanted to get married to someone who treasured her companionship as much as Inuyasha treasured mine. I denied that he did anything of the sort, but she still seemed to think otherwise.

"Kagome!" Shippo whined again and tugged on my sleeve to jolt me from my thoughts and bring my attention back to the current problem. "Inuyasha's being mean to me!" he accused and I heard Inuyasha scoff as if he had no idea what Shippo was talking about.

I looked over to Inuyasha and gave him a look that was more annoyance than it was scolding. "I would rather not embarrass you in front of everyone here," I said and reached up to tug on the beads that hung around his neck. He frowned at what I was insinuating and turned his gaze into an annoyed glare that I am getting used to receiving.

"The feast will be starting momentarily," Lady Enju said as she stood behind us and startled me back from whatever moment I had been having. I looked to see her with her hands in front of herself and her spine standing straight. She had very good manners, in fact the entire village did; except for when they tried to pry the clothes from us. Everyone was courteous and welcoming, which was strange. Though I might as well enjoy the light and cheerful atmosphere while it lasts.

"I will inform you as to the nature of what must be done regarding the jewel shard," she said in her calm and even tone, but it immediately brought me from my thoughts. I knew that this wasn't simply from the goodness of their hearts. "It is of utmost importance to us that you do not slay or maim the one who holds the freagment in the forest."

This may be a problem because every jewel shard we had obtained before this, the owner had to die. I could tell that Inuyasha was thinking the same thing I was, judging by the confused and irritated look on his face. I was about to ask for more information about why it was so important that we not kill this holder and how she had known we came here for the jewel, but then Inuyasha butt in. "Keh, we'll get the jewel however we get it." He scoffed and glared at the priestess behind him as if she had just tried to take the fun out everything.

How he thought running around the country looking for miniscule fragments of the jewel was fun is beyond me. Lady Enju smiled a smile that could have only been read as a challenge to any who saw it. "You will do as asked of you." She demanded and grated on my nerves. I hated being demanded to do things that I have no want to do in the first place. Her calm and steady voice was starting to irritate me as it seemed to irritate Inuyasha, or it could simply be his irritation that I am feeling. It's unclear at this point. "For if you do not, then the wrath of the Kami will be upon you." She said in a somewhat darker voice from before. She was warning us at the same that she was threatening us. I could tell that I was not going to like the answer to my next question.

"Why would we be bringing the 'wrath of the Kami' on us if we were to kill the holder of the jewel shard? Hypothetically," I asked with annoyance at the edge of my voice because I had taken the bait she had laid out for us. I saw her mouth twitch up into the smallest of smiles before she spoke again.

"That is due to the fact that a Kami is in possession of the fragment you are after," She replied and I could hear the truth in her words, but wished that she was telling a lie. How in world are we supposed to retrieve the fragment of the jewel without killing the holder, when said holder just so happens to be a Kami?

I had the gut feeling that tomorrow was not going to be a fun day and I was hoping that this feast was not going to be my last.

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A/N: One chapter closer to something I wrote a LONG time ago for this fanfiction. I should probably bring Deysi in again at some point too...

Well, as always thank you for reading the story! :)


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